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Israel says detained Gaza flotilla activists to be taken to Greece
Israel's foreign ministry earlier said around 175 activists had been taken off more than 20 boats.The flotilla was the latest attempt by pro-Palestinian activists seeking to break Israel's blockade on Gaza, with organisers putting the number of detained at 211, including a Paris city councillor."In coordination with the Greek government, the individuals transferred from the flotilla vessels to the Israeli vessel will be disembarked on a Greek beach in the coming hours," Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar wrote on X, thanking Greece "for its willingness to receive the flotilla participants".Helene Coron, a spokeswoman for the Global Sumud France, had earlier told an online news conference that the interception operation took place near the Greek island of Crete, at an "unprecedented" distance from the Gaza coast.Yasmine Scola, an activist on board the flotilla, said her colleagues had been "kidnapped" by Israel.Paris announced that 15 French nationals had been detained and Rome called for the immediate release of "all the unlawfully detained Italians" -- numbering 24 according to the Italian news agency Ansa.Coron said those intercepted included Paris Communist local councillor Raphaelle Primet.Rome and Berlin said in a joint statement that they were following developments "with deep concern", while Madrid blasted the seizure and said it had summoned Israel's charge d'affaires in Spain.Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez accused Israel of "once again violating international law by attacking a civilian flotilla in waters that do not belong to it", urging the EU to freeze bilateral ties.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, called the interception a "total success", and described participants as "Hamas supporters".Boats still en routeIn the summer and autumn of 2025, a first voyage by the Global Sumud Flotilla across the Mediterranean towards Gaza drew worldwide attention.The boats in that flotilla were intercepted by Israel off the coasts of Egypt and the Gaza Strip in early October.Crew members, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, were arrested and then expelled by Israel.The organisers of the latest flotilla announced early on Thursday that their boats had been surrounded by Israeli military ships while off the coast of Crete."Our boats were approached by military speedboats, self-identified as 'Israel', pointing lasers and semi-automatic assault weapons ordering participants to the front of the boats and to get on their hands and knees,"...
Israel Says Detained Gaza Flotilla Activists to Be Taken to Greece
Israel has expanded the scope of the “red zone” in southern Lebanon to areas about 22 kilometers from the border in Tyre and Nabatieh, issuing successive evacuation warnings covering more than 20 towns. The warnings triggered a new wave of displacement toward the city of Sidon, before Israel followed them with a series of intensive strikes that raised the human toll and widened the scale of destruction, while imposing a new field reality beyond the limits of the “yellow line.” Successive warnings and geographic expansion The Israeli army on Thursday issued a series of urgent warnings ordering residents of southern towns to evacuate immediately. The warnings came in two stages and included villages in Tyre and Nabatieh, reflecting a clear expansion of the area of operations. The first warning included the towns of al-Samaaiyeh, al-Hinniyeh, al-Qlayleh, Wadi Jilo, al-Kaniseh, Kafra, Majdal Zoun and Siddiqin, before these areas were directly hit after the warning. In a second warning, the Israeli army expanded the alerts to include Jebchit, Habboush, Harouf, Kfar Jouz, Nabatieh al-Fawqa, Abba, Adchit al-Shqif, Arab Salim, Toul, Houmine al-Fawqa, in Nabatieh district, as well as al-Majadel, Arzoun, Dounine, al-Hamiri and Maaroub, in Tyre district. Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee called on residents to move at least 1,000 meters away. Southern Lebanese sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that an expanded “red zone” had emerged alongside the “yellow line,” stretching to the outskirts of Nabatieh across an area more than 35 kilometers wide and extending about 25 kilometers into Lebanese territory. The zone includes dozens of villages now exposed to shelling or evacuation warnings, triggering large waves of displacement. The road from the south toward Sidon and Beirut witnessed a new wave of displacement, especially from Nabatieh and its surroundings, after Adraee’s latest threat. Strikes accompany warnings The warnings were accompanied by direct strikes, with raids targeting several of the towns included in them. A drone also struck a motorcycle in the town of al-Shahabiyeh, killing two people and wounding one, while warplanes raided the Al Hamza neighborhood between Nabatieh al-Fawqa and Kfar Rumman. Israeli forces carried out a dawn explosion in the town of Khiam, as raids continued on several areas, including Toulin and al-Jmayjmeh. Shelling also hit Safad al-Batikh, Zebqine, Jabal al-Batm, Qabrikha and Khirbet Selm. In Bint Jbeil, explosions hi...
Activists say Israel has intercepted their Gaza aid flotilla near Crete
Activists sailing on dozens of boats attempting to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip to deliver aid say Israeli forces intercepted them, detaining the crews while the flotilla was sailing ...
Israel intercepts Gaza flotilla near Crete and detains 175 activists - BBC
Israel stopped the previous flotilla set up by the GSF from reaching Gaza last October, arresting and then deporting more than 470 people who were on board, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg.
