The Global Sumud Flotilla, a fleet of ships attempting to deliver aid to Gaza with New Zealanders on board, have been captured by Israeli forces, writes Joel MacManus in today’s extract from The Bulletin.
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Boarded in the night
Late on Wednesday evening, Israeli forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla, a group of civilian boats that had been attempting to break Israel’s blockade and deliver aid to Gaza. Activists on board were detained and taken to Israel.
As reported by The Spinoff’s Alex Casey, three New Zealanders were on board the flotilla: Youssef Sammour, Samuel Leason and Rana Hamida, who all released pre-recorded messages on social media announcing they had been “kidnapped” or “abducted” and taken to Israel against their will.
Their exact whereabouts is unknown, but in a post on X, the Israeli Defence Force said passengers had been “transferred to an Israeli port”. According to the Guardian, the flotilla was approximately 120km off the coast of Gaza when it was met by 20 Israeli military vessels, who ordered the fleet to turn around.
A high-profile showdown
The Global Sumud Flotilla is made up of more than 50 boats and 500 activists, who have been sailing across the Mediterranean, mostly departing from Barcelona, in the hopes of reaching Gaza. The amount of food and medical supplies it is delivering is mostly symbolic; nowhere near enough to make a major difference to the level of suffering in Palestine, but the aim is to draw attention to the Israeli blockades.
Some of the big names on board include climate activist Greta Thunberg, Irish Senator Chris Andrews, former mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau, several Italian lawmakers, and Mandla Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela.
The conflict between a civilian flotilla and a military force, combined with the presence of celebrity activists with wide social media reach, could turn this into a dramatic and complex international showdown.
How will the government respond?
Because the flotilla is made up of an international contingent of activists, several countries have sprung into action – some with vastly different responses.
Mass protests erupted in Greece, Italy, Tunisia and Türkiye. Italian unions called for a general strike on Friday in support of the flotilla. Türkiye’s foreign ministry called Israel’s actions an “act of terrorism”. Colombian president Gustavo Petro expelled Israeli diplomats and cancelled the country’s free trade agreement.
New Zealand’s response has been characteristically timid. As reported by Adam Pearse of the NZ Herlad on Thursday, prime minister Christopher Luxon said the dangers of participating in the flotilla were evident: “That’s why we say, ‘Do not travel to Gaza’.” He said the government has “conveyed” to Israel that it expects New Zealand citizens to be treated according to international law.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said: “The safety of New Zealanders is paramount. We expect any New Zealanders in the flotilla to be treated in a manner consistent with international law and have communicated this directly to Israel several times.
“The New Zealand Embassy in Ankara has been in proactive contact with Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the provision of consular services to New Zealanders onboard the flotilla, and our expectations in that regard, should that be requested by any of the participants.”
The latest: deportation, says Israel
Israel says it has intercepted all but one of the vessels in the flotilla and that none had breached its blockade, reports RNZ and AFP. The last vessel “remains at a distance”, according to an Israeli government statement. It also said the detained activists would be deported to Europe, without specifying which countries they would be sent to.
