[News] 'Israel' raids, hijacks new Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla

[Anti-Imperialist News]

english.almayadeen.net
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/-israel--raids--hijacks-new-gaza-bound-freedom-flotilla>
'Israel' raids, hijacks new Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla
Al Mayadeen English
October 8, 2025
------------------------------

Israeli forces raid multiple humanitarian flotillas on October 8, including
nine vessels carrying aid and international activists.

   - [image: 'Israel' raids new flotillas of a global campaign to aid to
   Gaza.]
   <https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2025/10/8/5fdcc8be-9553-4d9a-b6e2-f8096aa9635b.png?v=4&width=1000>
   CCTV footage shows the Gaza Sunbird being raided by Israeli occupation's
   navy in international waters, off the coasts of occupied Palestine and
   Egypt, on October 8, 2025. (Freedom Flotilla Coalition)

Israeli occupation forces raided multiple humanitarian flotillas on October
8, 2025, attempting to reach the besieged Gaza Strip, as part of the
ongoing Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) campaign organized by the Freedom
Flotilla Coalition (FFC) and Thousand Madleens to Gaza (TMTG).

The latest raid took place approximately 120 nautical miles (220 km) from
Gaza, with civilian vessels carrying doctors, journalists, elected
officials, and vital aid, including medicines, respiratory equipment, and
nutritional supplies worth over $110,000.

The flotilla activists reported that nine boats were hijacked within an
hour: Abd Elkarim Eid, Alaa Al-Najar, Anas Al-Sharif, Conscience, Gaza
Sunbird, Leila Khaled, Milad, Soul of My Soul, and Um Saad.

The vessel Conscience was the last vessel to be raided by Israeli
occupation forces after diverting from the rest of the convoy toward
Egyptian shores.

It is worth noting that all vessels were illegally raided in international
waters.
Israeli response

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that the journey of the aid flotilla was
“another futile attempt to breach the legal naval blockade and enter a
combat zone,” asserting on social media that “the vessels and the
passengers are transferred to an Israeli port.”

The Ministry claimed that all passengers were in good health and were
expected to be “deported promptly".

The statement followed last week’s hijacking of over 40 vessels forming the
GSF, the largest flotilla to challenge the Israeli blockade of Gaza, which
included 479 activists from around the world.

*Read more: 'Israel' accused of abusing Australian activists from Gaza
flotilla
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/-israel--accused-of-abusing-australian-activists-from-gaza-f>*
Flotilla organizers condemn 'Israel'

The FFC and TMTG condemned the raids as a violation of international law
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/french-activists-lawyers-urge-paris-to-join-icj-case-against>.
“Israel has no legal authority to detain international volunteers aboard
these ships,” said David Heap, of the Canadian Boat to Gaza and the FFC
Steering Committee.

“This seizure blatantly violates international law and defies the ICJ’s
binding orders requiring unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza. Their
detention is arbitrary, unlawful, and must end immediately,” he added.

The coalition highlighted that the attacks follow the illegal seizure and
detention of the GSF, Handala, and Madleen, as well as a prior Israeli
drone strike on the vessel Conscience in European waters, which damaged it.

“These repeated attacks on unarmed civilians demonstrate Israel’s
deliberate escalation and the total failure of governments to enforce
international law,” the statement said.

*Read more: GSF captain says despite abuse, 'Israel weaker than spider's
web'
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/gsf-captain-says-despite-abuse---israel-weaker-than-spider-s>*
The Global Sumud Flotilla campaign

The latest flotilla is part of a broader international effort to deliver
aid to Gaza and challenge the illegal Israeli siege imposed on the Strip.
Previous missions, including the 2010 Mavi Marmara, the Global Sumud
Flotilla earlier in October 2025, and other coordinated campaigns, have
consistently faced complete and aggressive Israeli military obstruction.
Activists continue to organize maritime convoys despite repeated raids,
asserting the right to deliver aid independently of Israeli diktats.

These missions coincide with a dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where
restrictions on food, medicine, and essential supplies have created widespread
hunger and malnutrition
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/parents-helpless-as-famine-strips-gaza-s-children-to-skin-an>.
Humanitarian agencies warn that hundreds of thousands of residents are
facing acute food insecurity, with famine declared in some regions,
exacerbated by "Israel’s" blockade.

*Read more: 'Israel' detaining Greta Thunberg in 'harsh' conditions: The
Guardian
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/-israel--detaining-greta-thunberg-in--harsh--conditions--the>*
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