Above photo: An Israeli vessel approaches the flotilla. Global Sumud Flotilla.
Gaza Flotilla Intercepted at 8pm, May 19, 2026, 46 hours after the attacks began.
By 8pm local time on May 19, 2026, the last ten boats of the 2026 Gaza flotilla had been illegally seized by the Israeli military in international water approximately 118 nautical miles from Gaza.
“Lina” was the last flotilla vessel seized in international waters
The last boat to be seized of the 54 boat flotilla was the Gaza Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC)’s boat named “Lina.” The flotilla boats had been sailing toward Gaza in the largest civilian flotilla in the history of support for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank attempting to break the illegal Israeli naval blockade of Gaza.
The “Lina” has a remarkable history. She was launched from Marseilles, France with twenty boats of the Thousand Madleens and came to Centraro, Italy. From Cetraro, she and another Thousand Madleens boat, Tenaz, joined the FFC boats Adalah and Perservance in Siracusa, Sicily. They were joined by the Kiriakou X near Crete and the five sailed together for several days in the Greek islands and then meeting the Global Sumud flotilla off Marmaris Bay in Turkiye on May 14.
The history of the 2026 Gaza flotilla can be seen on the FFC/GSF tracker: https://freedomflotilla.org/ffc-gsf-tracker/
470 Unarmed Civilian Participants Kidnapped by Israeli Military Forces
Over the past two days, approximately 470 unarmed civilian participants from 45 countries have been kidnapped in international waters by Israeli military forces, placed in a cargo “prison ship” and ultimately taken against their wills to Israel, put in Israeli prison for several days and ultimately deported.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition five boats had 37 participants from 13 countries.
22 Vessels Attacked and 179 Gaza Flotilla Participants Taken by Israeli Military Forces Off Crete, Greece on April 30, 2026
On April 30, 2026, only two days after the Global Sumud Flotilla left the port of Augusta, Sicily, Itally, Israeli military forces attack the GSF fleet, damaged and disabled 22 flotilla vessels and abducted 179 people at gunpoint in international waters off the Greek island of Crete.
The remainder of the Global Sumud Glotilla fleet regrouped off Crete and later joined 17 vessels from Turkiye in Marmaris, Turkiye. That group was then joined by five vessels from the Gaza Freedom Flotilla Coalition on May 14, 2026.
The large flotilla then headed to Gaza when it was again attacked by Israeli forces on May 18 and 19, 2026.
Israelis Fired Shots and Flotilla Boats Purposely Damaged and Set Adrift in Violation of International Law
Israeli military forces fired on at least two flotilla vessels during their attacks on the Gaza flotilla. It is still unknown if any participants were injured as Israeli officials deny the shots despite video footage.
Flotilla boats have been purposely damaged by the Israeli military. On May 19, the Sirius boat, the second to the last boat to be illegally seized by the IOF, was purposely rammed by an Israeli naval ship. We do not know the extent of damage to the boat or to participants on the boat as the camera on the boat was broken by the ramming.
Prior to the ramming, participants on the ship were hosed by the ship’s water cannon. We do not know whether the liquid poured on the participants was the notoriously noxious “skunk” water, which has previously been used on Gaza fishers and on other international activists. All of the 54 boats of the Gaza flotilla have been left adrift in international waters and are hazards to international shipping, another violation of international law by the Israeli military and government.
Interception of the 54 boat flotilla, which included boats from the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), the Gaza Freedom Flotilla Coalition and many other organizations from Turkiye, Malaysia and Indonesia, began on Monday, May 18, 2026 at 10:30am Turkiye time and ended with the attack on the Lina approximately 46 hours later at 8:00pm on May 19. 2026.
Cargo “Prison ship” arrives in Ashdod Wednesday, May 20, 2026 in the early morning
The cargo “prison” ship on which Captains, crew and participants were incarcerated after interception stayed in the area until the last flotilla boat was seized and participants loaded on board. The prison ship is scheduled to arrive in Ashdod port, Israel about 5am Palestine time. Flotilla participants will be processed by the Israeli government in Ashdod. Israeli Foreign Ministry video of some participants greeting each other on the cargo ship: https://freedomflotilla.org/ffc-gsf-tracker/
After extensive processing procedures, with participants waiting in the sun in uncomfortable positions, such as having to kneel on concrete for hours and attempted humiliation by guards, but nothing in comparison to what happens to Palestinians, flotilla participants will be sent to the notorious Ktzi’ot prison for detention for several days before deportation proceedings begin.
Report on Ktzi’ot prison: “Welcome To Hell: The Israeli Prison System as a Network of Torture Camps”
2025 GSF and Conscience flotilla participants were also sent to the Ktzi’ot prison, which has held thousands of Palestinians under terrible conditions over the decades. In August 2024, B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights NGO, released a report “Welcome To Hell: The Israeli Prison System as a Network of Torture Camps” (PDF). B’Tselem: The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories. August 2024, detailing testimonies of 55 Palestinians held in Israeli custody since October 7, 2023, including 12 Palestinians held in the Ktzi’ot prison. This report described a lack of food and water, severe beating, and sexual abuse.
Upon Deportation, Flotilla Participants Have Been Sent to Istanbul, Amman, Jordan and Athens, Greece.
For the past few flotillas, twice in 2025 and in Crete, Greece in 2026, the Turkish government has kindly sent a Turkish airliner to retrieve some of the participants and bring them to the Istanbul International airport for onward flights home.
Other participants have been taken by Israeli transport to the border crossing to Jordan and turned over to the embassies of the participants.
Also in 2025, some GSF participants were flown to Athens, Greece.
Embassy officials Should Meet with Their National Citizens: Many Do, But NOT the U.S. Embassy generally
Government officials assigned to their respective Embassies in Israel, should visit their national citizens during their imprisonment and assist in their departure from Israel.
However, due to U.S. government policies that support the criminal actions of the State of Israel, including the complicity in the genocide of Palestinians by the providing of bombs and other lethal weapons to Israel, in the case of U.S. citizens, the U.S. Embassy in Israel and the U.S. State Department, generally do not meet, nor provide any assistance to U.S. citizens who challenge U.S. policies through the nonviolent actions such as the Gaza flotilla.
U.S. Government at the Direction of the State of Israel Wrongfully Calls Gaza Flotillas as Supporting Hamas and Puts Sanctions On Four Persons for Membership in PCPA and Samidoun for Solidarity with Palestine Prisoners
This year, the U.S. Department of State, no doubt at the direction of the Trump administration’s genocidal best-friend the State of Israel, wrote a particularly mean-spirited notice to Gaza flotilla participants who are U.S. citizens of conscience who challenge U.S. government complicity in the Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and the ethnic cleansing in the West Bank.
The U.S. government followed on May 19, 2026, with another Trump administration/Israeli government attempt at destroying support for Palestinians, by directing the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control to take “action against four individuals associated with the pro-Hamas flotilla organized by the US-designated Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA) that is attempting to access Gaza in support of Hamas.”..
The U.S. Treasury Department wrote at the direction of Trump’s ally the State of Israel: “The sanctioned individuals are Saif Abu Keshek, a Palestinian with Spanish and Swedish citizenship and PCPA leader who helped organize and lead Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) missions; Jordan-based PCPA president Hisham Abdallah Sulayman Abu Mahfuz; Mohammed Khatib, who is based in Belgium and is the European coordinator for Samidoun, the Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network; and Jaldia Abubakra Aueda, Samidoun’s coordinator in Madrid.”
Foreign Ministers of Ten Countries Condemn Israeli Attacks on the Gaza Flotilla
On Monday, May 18, 2026, the Foreign Ministers of Turkiye, Spain, Jordan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Indonesia, Colombia, Libya, and the Maldives released a joint statement, describing Israeli forces’ actions as “blatant violations of international law and international humanitarian law”.
In the statement, the Foreign Ministers expressed “serious concern regarding the safety and security of the civilian participants of the flotilla” and called for the “immediate release of all detained activists, as well as for full respect for their rights and dignity”
Training to Help Endure Both Physical and Mental Abuse by Israeli Military, Prison and Other Government Officials
In a true test of their nonviolence training to endure both physical and mental abuse, participants may have to be close to and listen to various Israeli government ministers berate them for challenging Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, destruction of southern Lebanon and massive attacks on Iran.
Reporting from the Gaza Flotilla Crisis Center in Istanbul, Turkiye, Ann Wright
Ann Wright was in the U.S. Army/Army Reserves for 29 years and retired as a Colonel. She was also a U.S. diplomat for 16 years, but resigned from the U.S. government in March 2003 in opposition to the U.S. war on Iraq. Since her resignation, she has been very active in Palestine solidarity with the Gaza Freedom Flotilla Coalition. She has been in Israeli prison twice for participating in Gaza flotillas in 2010 and 2016. She is also a member of Veterans For Peace, CODEPINK: Women For Peace, World Beyond War, Hawai’i Peace and Justice and the International Peace Bureau, among many peace and social justice organizations.
