Occupation intercepts 'Fleet of Steadfastness' and abducts 180 activists in international waters

The International Committee for Breaking the Siege on Gaza announced, in an official statement issued from the British capital London, that Israeli occupation forces carried out a large-scale interception operation targeting the 'Spring 2026 Mission' ships belonging to the 'Fleet of Steadfastness'. The committee confirmed that this operation resulted in the abduction of approximately 180 international activists of various nationalities, describing what happened as 'organized maritime piracy' that took place in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea.

Sources clarified that the number of boats that were intercepted and seized reached 22, after the 'Tam Tam' boat was targeted in the final moments of the attack. The abducted activists were forcibly transferred under threat of arms to Ashdod port, a move the committee considered a flagrant violation of all international conventions guaranteeing freedom of navigation in open waters.

The Israeli aggression included deliberate acts of sabotage targeting the technical infrastructure of the ships, as the invading forces destroyed engines and vital navigation devices to ensure the complete paralysis of the fleet's movement. Field reports indicated that occupation soldiers withdrew from some boats after disabling them, leaving hundreds of civilian participants stranded at sea without means of movement or escape.

The severity of the field situation was exacerbated by the attack coinciding with the approach of a sea storm in the region, which exposed the lives of the solidarity activists to the real danger of drowning amidst the failure of navigation systems. The occupation forces also deliberately used electronic jamming techniques to cut off communications between the ships and prevent distress calls from being sent to international organizations or nearby rescue teams, which aggravated the state of isolation and threat experienced by the participants.

The committee precisely identified the location of the attack, noting that it occurred off Greek territorial waters near the island of Crete, which places the incident within the framework of an assault on the sovereignty of international navigation. The statement stressed that the fleet is purely civilian in nature, comprising solidarity activists from 55 countries around the world, in addition to shipments of humanitarian and medical aid designated for the besieged residents of the Gaza Strip.

In the context of legal responsibility, the International Committee held the Greek government directly responsible for the incident due to the attack occurring within its maritime jurisdiction and geographical vicinity. The committee called on Athens and the international community to take immediate action to ensure the safety of the remaining ships and work for the release of the abductees, with the necessity of holding the occupation authorities accountable for these repeated violations of international humanitarian law.

The committee concluded its statement by emphasizing that these aggressions will not succeed in breaking the will of international solidarity activists or deterring them from continuing their efforts to lift the siege on Gaza. It stressed that the 'Fleet of Steadfastness' is a global political and humanitarian message, and that future movements will be more determined to highlight the suffering of the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights to break the isolation imposed on them.

What happened is an organized act of maritime piracy in international waters, aimed at intimidating solidarity activists and preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.