Gaza flotilla crews ‘being taken to Israeli prison’

Activists in the Gaza-bound aid flotilla that was stopped by Israeli naval forces were detained in an Israeli port before being jailed, an Israeli human rights group and the flotilla’s organizers said.

The fleet was making a new attempt to deliver aid to war-torn Gaza after its previous missions were stopped by Israel in international waters.

Video shows Israeli forces firing on at least two fleet ships on Tuesday, which Israel says were warning shots.

Organizers say they aim to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza by providing humanitarian aid; Aid organizations say that despite the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which includes increased aid guarantees since October 2025, it is still insufficient.

Activists in past flotillas stopped by Israel were detained and then deported.

The ships in the fleet set out from southern Türkiye for the third time on Thursday.

Israel said all 430 activists on the boats in the flotilla were transferred to Israeli ships and would be allowed to meet with consular representatives after arriving in Israel.

Organizers of the flotilla say participants come from 40 countries, including Australia, on 50 ships.

Israel’s foreign ministry said on X on Monday that it “will not allow any violation of the legal naval blockade of Gaza.”

Israeli rights group Adalah said the activists were “detained at the port of Ashdod” and “taken to Israel against their will while Adalah lawyers entered for legal consultations.”

Organizers of the flotilla said the activists would be taken to Ketziot prison in Israel’s southern Negev desert.

Without specifying how many Italian citizens were in the flotilla, Italy’s foreign ministry said they were “expected to be transferred to a facility for identification and then allowed to leave.”

The foreign ministry said Italians were on board, including a member of parliament and a journalist.

President Lee Jae-myung said on Wednesday that South Korean citizens were among those detained by Israeli naval forces, calling Israel’s actions “far out of line.”

Most of Gaza’s more than two million people have been displaced; Many now live in bombed-out houses and makeshift tents set up in open fields, on roadsides or on the rubble of collapsed buildings.

Israel, which controls all access to the Gaza Strip, denies stopping supplies to its residents.

It has maintained control of more than 60 percent of Gaza since a U.S.-backed ceasefire in October, and the militant group Hamas controls some territory along the coast.