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<div class="gmail-breadcrumbs"><div class="gmail-topics"><a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/">News</a>|<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/gaza/">Gaza</a></div></div><h1>Gaza aid flotilla organisers say 41 boats intercepted, 10 still sailing</h1><p class="gmail-article__subhead"><em>Foreign ministers of 10 countries say Israel\u2019s storming of the aid flotilla is a blatant violation of international law.</em></p><div class="gmail-responsive-image"><img src="https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/reuters_6a0bce84-1779158660.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80" alt="An Israeli naval boat intercepts the Global Sumud Flotilla en route to Gaza" width="497" height="331" style="margin-right: 25px;"></div>Margaret
Connolly, an Irish doctor and sister of President Catherine Connolly,
was among those 'illegally kidnapped' by Israel, organisers say
[Handout/Global Sumud Flotilla via Reuters]<div class="gmail-article-info gmail-m--t-20 gmail-m--desktop-b-30 gmail-m--b-mobile-20"><div class="gmail-byline gmail-byline--single-avatar"><div class="gmail-byline-content"><div class="gmail-contributors-list gmail-contributors-list--byline"><span class="gmail-contributors-list__by-prefix">By </span><a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/author/al_jazeera_staff_150119130629458">Al Jazeera Staff</a> and AFP</div></div></div><div class="gmail-article-dates"><div class="gmail-date-simple"><span class="gmail-screen-reader-text">Published On 19 May 2026</span></div></div></div><div class="gmail-wysiwyg gmail-wysiwyg--all-content"><p>The organisers of an aid flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip say Israeli forces <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/18/israeli-forces-intercept-gaza-bound-aid-flotilla">raided</a> 41 of their boats in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, while 10 vessels continue to sail towards the besieged Palestinian enclave.</p><p>The vessels still sailing were about 121 nautical miles (224km) from Gaza, the Global Sumud Flotilla said on Tuesday morning.</p><p>More
than 50 vessels sailed from the Turkish port city of Marmaris last
week, in what organisers described as the final stage of a journey aimed
at challenging Israel\u2019s blockade of Gaza.</p><p>Israeli forces began
storming the boats in international waters off the coast of Cyprus on
Monday, organisers said, and abducted activists.</p><p>Several countries
have condemned the Israeli attacks on the aid flotilla. The foreign
ministers of Turkiye, Spain, Jordan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Brazil,
Indonesia, Colombia, Libya, and the Maldives released a joint statement,
describing Israeli forces\u2019 actions as \u201cblatant violations of
international law and international humanitarian law\u201d.</p><p>As per the
statement, the ministers expressed \u201cserious concern regarding the safety
and security of the civilian participants of the flotilla\u201d and called
for the \u201cimmediate release of all detained activists, as well as for
full respect for their rights and dignity\u201d.</p><p>Reporting from the
Palestinian enclave, Al Jazeera\u2019s Tareq Abu Azzoum said Israeli media
described the operation as one of the largest naval interception
campaigns targeting a Gaza-bound flotilla in recent years.</p><p>Shortly
before Israeli forces began intercepting boats on Monday, Israel\u2019s
Ministry of Foreign Affairs directed the flotilla to abandon its
mission.</p><p>\u201cChange course and turn back immediately,\u201d the ministry said in a statement.</p><p> </p><div style="display:block;min-width:0px;max-width:770px">
<div class="gmail-video-player-facade-container"><div class="gmail-aj-video-player gmail-in-article-bc-video-player gmail-aj-parsed-component"><span class="gmail-video-js gmail-vjs-paused gmail-vjs-controls-enabled gmail-vjs-touch-enabled gmail-vjs-workinghover gmail-vjs-v8 gmail-vjs-user-active gmail-vjs-layout-large gmail-bc-player-6tKQRAx7lu_default gmail-bc-player-6tKQRAx7lu_default-index-0 gmail-vjs-ad-controls gmail-vjs-ima3-html5 gmail-vjs-plugins-ready gmail-pause-controller gmail-vjs-player-info gmail-vjs-contextmenu-ui gmail-vjs-viewability gmail-vjs-errors gmail-vjs-quality-menu gmail-vjs-hide-controls" id="gmail-vjs_video_7711" tabindex="-1" lang="en" role="region" aria-label="Video Player"><div class="gmail-vjs-text-track-display"><div style="margin:1.5%"><br></div></div></span></div><div class="gmail-post-icon-parent"><div class="gmail-post-icon__container gmail-post-icon--large"><img class="gmail-playlist-item-image" src="https://cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net/v1/static/665003303001/1dfb4124-5983-4a94-9f0a-72e3cb8275a1/7ac2823a-16b5-4cf0-8785-1156c2a68305/426x240/match/image.jpg?resize=730%2C410&quality=80" alt="Israel intercepts Gaza-bound aid flotilla, detains activists at sea" width="426" height="240" style="margin-right: 0px;"></div></div><ul class="gmail-playlist-horizontal-container gmail-in-article-brightcove-playlist" id="gmail-playlist-container"><li tabindex="0"><h3 class="gmail-playlist-item-title" title="Israel intercepts Gaza-bound aid flotilla, detains activists at sea"> Israel intercepts Gaza-bound aid flotilla, detains activists at sea</h3></li></ul></div>
</div><p> </p><p>Margaret Connolly, an Irish doctor and President
Catherine Connolly\u2019s sister, was among those \u201cillegally kidnapped\u201d by
Israel, organisers said in a statement sent to the AFP news agency.</p><p>President
Connolly, on a planned trip to the United Kingdom, told reporters after
talks in London with King Charles III that the news was \u201cupsetting\u201d.</p><p>\u201cI\u2019m
very worried about her, and I\u2019m also very concerned about her
colleagues on board,\u201d she said, adding she did not have any details.</p><p>Israel
has maintained a blockade on Gaza since 2007, saying it is necessary to
prevent weapons from reaching Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups.</p><p>Rights
groups and humanitarian organisations have repeatedly criticised the
blockade, describing it as collective punishment imposed on Gaza\u2019s
population.</p></div>
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