[News] Israeli occupation regime navy raid Gaza Flotilla's Alma, Sirius ships

[Anti-Imperialist News]

english.almayadeen.net 
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-occupation-regime-navy-raid-gaza-flotilla-s-alma--si> 



  Israeli occupation regime navy raid Gaza Flotilla's Alma, Sirius ships

Al Mayadeen English
October 1, 2025
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The Gaza solidarity flotilla says Israeli forces boarded ships, seized 
vessels, and forced aid boats toward Asdod in what it calls an act of 
piracy.

   * From inside the ship Alma of the Global Resilience Fleet (social
    media)
    <https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2025/10/1/e597bf28-417c-41d1-ab37-90c0723f01c5.jpg?width=1000>
     From inside the ship Alma of the Global Resilience Fleet (social
    media)

The Global Sumud Flotilla issued a statement on Wednesday accusing 
Israeli occupation forces of carrying out an “illegal interception and 
act of piracy” against its aid ships bound for Gaza. The flotilla 
stressed that its destination was the besieged enclave, not Israeli 
ports, contrary to claims made by the Israeli navy.

According to the statement, onboard cameras were disabled and Israeli 
soldiers boarded several ships, ordering the flotilla to divert toward 
the port of occupied Asdod under the pretext of inspecting humanitarian 
supplies.

The flotilla reported that the Israeli occupation declared a state of 
emergency on the vessels, jamming communication systems and disabling 
surveillance cameras. Contact was lost with several ships, while four 
naval mines were detected nearby, and more than 20 Israeli warships were 
seen surrounding the flotilla 
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/global-sumud-flotilla-currently-off-the-coast-of-egypt>.


    Israeli media confirms seizures

Israeli media outlets reported that naval forces boarded multiple boats, 
seizing the vessels Alma and Sirius and arresting participants on board, 
citing claims that they were being redirected to occupied Asdod.

Despite this, the captain of the Alma insisted that the flotilla would 
continue its journey to Gaza 
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/aid-flotilla-prepares-for-worst-case-scenario-as-it-nears-ga>. 
Meanwhile, the International Committee to Break the Siege of Gaza said 
Israeli boats were encircling the ships and announced the activation of 
an emergency operations room to monitor developments, alongside a 
solidarity event in Cairo.

Mohammed Qutaish, coordinator of the Dutch delegation, accused Israeli 
forces of carrying out “intimidation maneuvers” around the flotilla in 
an effort to spread fear among participants.


    Flotilla prepares for worst-case scenario

Members of the Global Sumud Flotilla told*Al Mayadeen*on Wednesday that 
their ships are now about 100 miles from Gaza and are expected to reach 
the blockaded strip's shores 
<https://english.almayadeen.net/videos/global-sumud-flotilla-reaches-tunis> 
at around 5 am, according to international law expert Lina Tabbal.

Tabbal warned that Israeli forces are likely to pursue the flotilla by 
nightfall, stressing that “worst-case scenarios” remain possible. She 
said drones have been circling over the ships continuously, and that 
Israeli forces may attempt to storm the vessels and use stun grenades 
against activists. Any such action, she added, would constitute “piracy 
and a violation of international law.”


    Flotilla under surveillance

Youssef Ajissa, deputy head of the International Committee toBreak the 
Siege of Gaza 
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/entire-fleet-heading-to-gaza-to-break-siege--sumud-flotilla>, 
said the flotilla is now “within a stone’s throw” of waters claimed by 
the Israeli occupation as a war zone. He described the previous night as 
“dangerous” for the ships and warned that the coming hours could also 
bring heightened risks.

The committee’s official account on X confirmed that the flotilla 
expects to arrive in Gaza within 12 hours, while*Al Mayadeen*continues 
to monitor developments closely.

Earlier, the flotilla reported what it called a “serious act of 
aggression 
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/unidentified-ships-shadow-gaza-flotilla-as-activists-prepare>” 
by Israeli naval forces at dawn on Wednesday. According to the 
statement, the ship Alma was chased and harassed for several minutes by 
an Israeli warship, which remotely disabled its communication systems, 
including the internal closed-circuit broadcast.

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