(TJV NEWS) The Times of Israel reported that Israel’s navy intercepted a massive pro-Palestinian flotilla attempting to breach the maritime blockade of Gaza late Wednesday and into Thursday morning, an operation coinciding with Yom Kippur.

 Israeli naval commandos from Shayetet 13 boarded more than 40 of the flotilla’s 47 vessels, detaining hundreds of activists on board. The operation included jamming communications, deploying water cannons, and escorting the ships toward Ashdod. By Thursday afternoon, Israel’s Foreign Ministry declared the “provocation” over, stressing that all passengers were safe and in good health and would be deported to Europe.

One of the highest-profile detainees was climate activist Greta Thunberg, seen in a Foreign Ministry video being escorted with her belongings by an Israeli soldier. The Times of Israel noted that French politician Marie Mesmeur and Franco-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan were also aboard intercepted boats. Organizers said more than 500 activists joined the flotilla, which had set out from Spain a month ago carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid.

Despite activists’ claims, The Times of Israel reported that no vessel ever entered Israeli-controlled waters near Gaza. Tracking errors led to false reports that one ship had reached the coast. Israel’s military insisted the flotilla never breached the blockade.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry emphasized that the ships could have delivered aid legally through Ashdod, where it would undergo inspection before transfer to Gaza. Italy and other European governments backed Israel’s call to reroute the aid. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani confirmed that Israel’s military had been instructed not to use violence and that all detained activists would be deported.

The interception unfolded as rockets were fired from Gaza at Ashdod—five in total, according to the IDF. Four were intercepted by Israel’s missile defense systems, while the fifth landed harmlessly in an open area.

The Times of Israel highlighted that several well-known figures were among the flotilla passengers, including Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Mandla Mandela, and former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau. Organizers framed the voyage as a humanitarian mission, but Israel accused some participants of ties to Hamas and dismissed the flotilla as a deliberate provocation rather than a genuine aid effort.

The Times of Israel further reported that Israel and Egypt have enforced a blockade on Gaza since Hamas’s violent takeover in 2007, citing security concerns about weapons smuggling. Critics, however, argue that the blockade amounts to collective punishment of Gaza’s population.

This latest confrontation comes nearly two years into the war that began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led forces invaded Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostages. The Times of Israel noted that Israel says it has eliminated more than 22,000 Hamas combatants since the war began, while the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry claims over 66,000 Palestinians have been killed, though those figures cannot be independently verified