Organisers say Israeli forces intercepted \u200b44 boats in eastern Mediterranean, six boats were still sailing<\/p>\n
An Israeli naval boat intercepts the Global Sumud Flotilla en route to Gaza, in an attempt to deliver aid, at sea May 18, 2026, in this screengrab taken from a handout video. Global Sumud Flotilla\/Reuters <\/p>\n
Israeli forces opened fire towards at least two vessels sailing in \u200ban aid flotilla bound for Gaza on Tuesday, according to video footage and \u200cthe flotilla organisers, but there were no reports of any casualties.<\/p>\n
Video from the flotilla’s livestream showed soldiers firing shots at two of the boats, but the type of ammunition was not clear. Another spokesperson \u200bfor the flotilla said six vessels had been fired at.<\/p>\n
The Israeli military declined to \u200bcomment, referring Reuters<\/em> to the foreign ministry. A spokesperson for the foreign \u2060ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters’<\/em> questions.<\/p>\n The organisers said that Israeli forces had intercepted \u200b44 of their boats in the eastern Mediterranean and six boats were still sailing.<\/p>\n Speaking in Ankara late on Monday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan condemned the intervention against the “voyagers of \u200bhope” in the flotilla and called on the international community to act against Israel’s actions.<\/p>\n RED ALERT!<\/p>\n Military vessels are currently intercepting our fleet and IOF forces are boarding the first of our boats in broad daylight.<\/p>\n We demand safe passage for our legal, non-violent humanitarian mission. Governments must act now to stop these illegal acts or piracy meant to\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/4RmPuswZNo<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Global Sumud Flotilla (@gbsumudflotilla) May 18, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n Israel\u2019s foreign ministry had said on X on Monday that it \u201cwill not allow any breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza\u201d.<\/p>\n Activists from the provocation flotilla are seen hugging after being transferred to Israeli vessels. So far, no aid has been found on their boats. pic.twitter.com\/7ZAqKz5lEW<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) May 18, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n Ships \u200bfrom the Global Sumud Flotilla had set sail for a third time on Thursday from southern Turkiye, \u200cafter \u2060earlier attempts to deliver aid to Gaza were intercepted by Israel<\/a> in international waters.<\/p>\n The group previously said there were 426 people taking part in the flotilla from 39 countries.<\/p>\n Israel’s foreign ministry has called on “all participants in this provocation to change course and turn back immediately”.<\/p>\n The United States \u200bTreasury said it was imposing sanctions \u2060against four people associated with what it described as the “pro-Hamas” flotilla.<\/p>\n The pro-terror flotilla attempting to reach Gaza is a ludicrous attempt to undermine President Trump\u2019s successful progress toward lasting peace in the region. Treasury will continue to sever Hamas\u2019 global financial support networks, no matter where in the world they are. https:\/\/t.co\/KB7VHRQizZ<\/a><\/p>\n\n
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