KUALA LUMPUR – Israel has insisted that hundreds of activists arrested onboard humanitarian ships bound for Gaza are “safe and in good health”, even as its decision to intercept the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) continues to draw sharp international criticism.
The foreign ministry in Tel Aviv said that the passengers were being transported peacefully to Israel, where deportation procedures to Europe would begin.
“The passengers are safe and in good health,” it wrote on X, posting video footage of climate campaigner Greta Thunberg receiving water and a jacket from Israeli forces.
But activists and rights groups have questioned why civilian vessels carrying food and medicine to Gaza needed to be intercepted in the first place.
The GSF accused Israel of “deliberately ramming” one vessel and using water cannons on others, describing the operation as “illegal” and “a brazen act of desperation”.
The flotilla, comprising more than 50 ships, had set out with over 532 civilian supporters from 45 countries, including politicians, artists and humanitarians. Organisers said about 30 vessels were still sailing towards Gaza early Thursday, despite repeated naval blockades.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim condemned the interception as “intimidation and coercion”, vowing to pursue “all legitimate and lawful means” to secure the release of Malaysian nationals.
The UN human rights chief Volker Türk also urged Israel to lift the blockade and allow life-saving supplies to enter “without hindrance”.
Protests erupted in Greece, Italy, Germany, Tunisia and Turkey, while Colombia expelled Israeli diplomats and scrapped a free trade deal in response.
The Israeli government has characterised the flotilla as “provocation”, arguing its naval blockade is a lawful security measure. But international legal scholars and UN bodies have long warned that such actions amount to collective punishment and breach humanitarian law. — October 2, 2025