Israel will stop at no lengths to prevent aid getting to Gaza
In international waters near Crete, Israeli naval forces intercepted a multinational flotilla of aid vessels bound for Gaza, detaining six Australians among roughly 175 activists removed from the boats. The episode places in sharp relief one of the enduring tensions of our era: the collision between state-enforced blockades and the moral impulse to carry food and medicine to a besieged population. As families wait for word and diplomats offer measured responses, the question of who holds the authority to determine what reaches the hungry is once again before the world.
- Israeli speedboats surrounded flotilla vessels hundreds of miles from Israeli shores, with personnel training lasers and weapons on activists before removing them from their boats — an act that human rights groups are calling state-sanctioned piracy.
- Six named Australians, including a doctor who spent nine years working in Gaza, are in detention on or near Crete, while their families report receiving no direct communication from Australian government officials despite reaching out more than a day earlier.
- Israel insists its naval blockade is lawful and necessary, urging aid advocates to use official channels, while Amnesty International and Greens leader Larissa Waters demand the Australian government take a far stronger stand for the detained crew.
- Around 30 flotilla vessels remain at sea in Greek territorial waters south of Crete, keeping the confrontation unresolved and raising the prospect of further interceptions as Gaza's humanitarian crisis — 72,000 dead, 1.9 million displaced — continues to deepen.
On Thursday morning near the Greek island of Crete, Israeli naval forces boarded and seized vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla, a convoy of roughly 58 boats that had departed from Marseille, Barcelona, and Syracuse over recent weeks with the aim of delivering food, baby formula, and medical supplies to Gaza. Six Australians — Zack Schofield, Ethan Floyd, Neve O'Connor, Bianca Webb-Pullman, Surya McEwen, and Cameron Tribe — were among approximately 175 activists removed from around 22 vessels. They were expected to be transferred to Crete and released, though no firm timeline had been confirmed by Friday.
Israel's foreign ministry described the operation as lawful enforcement of its naval blockade, with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar calling the flotilla provocative and directing aid advocates toward official channels. Activists and Amnesty International countered that the interception — conducted in what GPS tracking confirmed was Greece's exclusive economic zone — constituted a brazen breach of international law, with Israeli personnel pointing weapons at civilians carrying humanitarian cargo.
Among the detained is Bianca Webb-Pullman, a doctor with nearly a decade of experience working in Gaza. Her mother held a press conference in Melbourne on Friday, describing the desperate health conditions in the territory and urging the Australian government to guarantee the flotilla's unobstructed passage. Ethan Floyd's mother said she had contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and her local MP more than 24 hours before the press conference without receiving any response. DFAT confirmed consular officials were present in Crete but reiterated its advice against participating in blockade-breach attempts.
This is the second major voyage by the Global Sumud Flotilla. A first attempt in late 2025 ended with crew members — including Greta Thunberg — detained at Ketziot prison before being expelled. The current interception occurred significantly farther from Israeli shores than the previous one, a detail that organisers say underscores the reach of the enforcement operation. Around 30 flotilla boats remain at sea south of Crete.
Gaza has been under blockade since 2007. Since October 2023, Israeli military operations launched in response to a Hamas attack that killed 1,221 people have killed more than 72,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, and displaced 1.9 million others. Snap rallies in support of the flotilla and the detained Australians were planned for Friday evening and Saturday across the country.
On Thursday morning near the Greek island of Crete, Israeli naval forces surrounded and boarded a flotilla of aid vessels in international waters. Six Australians were among approximately 175 activists removed from roughly 22 boats that had been attempting to reach Gaza. The Global Sumud Flotilla—a collection of about 58 vessels that had departed from ports in Marseille, Barcelona, and Syracuse over recent weeks—was intercepted far from Israeli shores, in what activists describe as an act of state-sanctioned piracy and what Israel characterizes as a necessary enforcement of its naval blockade.
The six detained Australians are Zack Schofield, Ethan Floyd, Neve O'Connor, Bianca Webb-Pullman, Surya McEwen, and Cameron Tribe. Two others aboard the flotilla—Anny Mokotow, a member of the Sydney-based group Jews Against the Occupation, and Brisbane resident Sam Watson—remain in contact and are thought still to be on the remaining vessels. Six more Australians had planned to join from Mediterranean ports before the interception occurred. The activists were expected to be transported to Crete and released, though the exact timeline remained unclear as of Friday.
Israel's foreign ministry said the navy had acted to prevent a breach of what it calls a lawful blockade of Gaza, a territory under Israeli control since 2007. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar described the flotilla as provocative and called on those genuinely interested in humanitarian aid to work through official channels. The Israeli military said it had surrounded the boats with speedboats, with personnel pointing lasers and semi-automatic weapons at participants and ordering them to the front of vessels and onto their hands and knees. Amnesty International condemned what it called a brazen interception, noting that Israeli naval forces had traveled hundreds of miles to ensure civilian boats carrying food, baby formula, and medical supplies could not reach Palestinians.
The detained Australians include Bianca Webb-Pullman, a doctor who had worked in Gaza for nine years. Her mother, Julie Webb-Pullman, held a press conference in Melbourne on Friday expressing concern for her daughter and her crewmates, emphasizing the desperate health conditions in Gaza and calling on the Australian government to enable the flotilla's unobstructed passage. Marissa Floyd, mother of detainee Ethan Floyd, said she had made contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and her local member more than 24 hours earlier but had received no phone calls, text messages, or emails from government officials about efforts to bring her son home. The department confirmed it had consular officials in Crete to provide assistance to any Australians transferred there, but urged Australians not to participate in attempts to breach the blockade.
Subhi Awad, a Palestinian activist and spokesperson for the Australian delegation, described Israel's actions as an egregious act of state-sanctioned piracy and said the interception demonstrated Israel's determination to prevent aid reaching what he called the sick and deliberately starved children and civilians of Palestine. He called on the Australian government to contact Israeli President Isaac Herzog—who visited Australia in February following the December antisemitic attack at Bondi Beach that killed 15 Jewish Australians—to secure the release of the detained activists. Greens leader Larissa Waters called the incident another shocking breach of international law and demanded that Foreign Minister Penny Wong back the flotilla crew and fight for their release.
This is the second major attempt by the Global Sumud Flotilla to breach the blockade. In late August 2025, a first voyage drew worldwide attention, with boats intercepted off the coasts of Egypt and Gaza in early October. That operation resulted in the detention of crew members including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and several Australians at Ketziot prison before their expulsion. The organizers of the current flotilla noted that their boats were intercepted significantly farther from Israel than in previous attempts, and that the interception occurred in the Greek exclusive economic zone—a detail verified by Agence France-Presse. Around 30 boats from the flotilla remain en route, most now in Greek territorial waters south of Crete.
Gaza has been under Israeli blockade since 2007, with Israel controlling all entry points to the territory. The United Nations and foreign NGOs have accused Israel of strangling the flow of goods into Gaza, causing lethal shortages since the war began in October 2023. Hamas's attack that month killed 1,221 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures. Israeli military operations in retaliation have killed more than 72,000 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry. A fragile ceasefire was reached last October, two years after the initial attack. Around 1.9 million Palestinian people have been displaced, with 60 percent of the population now without a home according to the latest UN reports. The activists have organized snap rallies on Friday evening and Saturday in support of the flotilla and the Australians they describe as being held hostage.
Notable Quotes
Having worked in Gaza for nine years, I know the desperate conditions there, especially for health workers. Bianca is a doctor trying to ensure medical aid gets into Gaza.— Julie Webb-Pullman, mother of detained Australian doctor Bianca Webb-Pullman
It has been more than 24 hours since I first made contact with DFAT and I have not had one phone call, one text message, one email from anyone in the government informing me of what is happening to bring our citizens home.— Marissa Floyd, mother of detained Australian Ethan Floyd
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why did Israel intercept the boats so far from its own coast, in Greek waters?
The flotilla was much larger this time—58 vessels instead of the smaller attempts before. Israel said it needed to act early to prevent a breach of what it calls a lawful blockade. But the fact that they went hundreds of miles into international waters to stop food and medicine suggests how seriously they take any challenge to their control over Gaza's borders.
What do the six detained Australians actually do? Are they activists or aid workers?
They're both. One is a doctor who worked in Gaza for nine years. Others are activists with the Global Sumud Flotilla. They weren't trying to sneak in—they were sailing openly, in daylight, in international waters. That's what makes the mothers' frustration so sharp. Their children weren't breaking laws; they were trying to deliver aid.
The Australian government seems caught between two positions.
Exactly. DFAT is providing consular help in Crete, but they're also telling Australians not to join these flotillas. It's a careful diplomatic line. But the families are asking why there's been no phone call, no email, no visible pressure on Israel. When the Israeli president visited Australia in February, there was enough political will to defend that visit against protests. The families are asking: where is that same will now?
Is this blockade actually legal under international law?
Israel says it is. But Amnesty International, the activists, and many legal scholars dispute that. A 19-year blockade that restricts food, medicine, and baby formula to a civilian population—the question of legality hinges on whether you see it as a security measure or collective punishment. The interception in Greek waters makes it harder for Israel to claim legality, though their foreign ministry insists they acted within international law.
What happens to the 30 boats still en route?
That's the open question. They're in Greek territorial waters now, south of Crete. The risk of escalation is real. If Israel moves to intercept them too, you could see a much larger confrontation. The flotilla organizers are planning more rallies. The families are demanding action. Gaza's humanitarian crisis is worsening. All of that is still in motion.