ISTANBUL, (PIC)
The Israeli occupation navy is making preparations to attack a new pro-Gaza flotilla expected to set sail soon from the town of Marmaris, Türkiye, heading to Gaza Strip in another attempt to challenge the blockade imposed on the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave.
Days earlier, Israeli troops seized several boats of the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters near the Greek island of Crete, assaulting and detaining dozens of activists in an action that drew widespread outrage.
The flotilla boats were carrying baby food, medical supplies, and other vital aid for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
On October 1, 2025, Israeli forces had also attacked dozens of boats belonging to the Global Sumud Flotilla, kidnaping hundreds of activists, many of whom reported being subjected to torture in Israeli detention.
According to Israeli media reports, the new flotilla is being organized by the Turkish IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, which also led the Mavi Marmara flotilla in 2010.
Since 2009, Israel has illegally intercepted and attacked all humanitarian aid flotillas attempting to break its siege on Gaza.
In a related context, three Australian activists say they have launched a hunger strike in Crete after being released by Israeli authorities following the interception of the Sumud Flotilla.
According to the Guardian news website, Ethan Floyd, Neve O’Connor and Zack Schofield, three of six Australians released after their boats were intercepted on Wednesday, said they and their colleagues were subjected to maltreatment while being held for two days onboard an Israeli vessel.
Greek officials said 31 of the roughly 175 activists from the flotilla were taken to a hospital in Crete. The three Australians have since been discharged from Sitia hospital but remain on the island.
22 vessels were intercepted off the coast of Crete on Wednesday evening while travelling as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which left Italy on Monday.
Activist Schofield, who spoke with Guardian Australia after his release, said the activists were held by Israel on a transport ship. He explained that the vessel had been retrofitted as a prison, with the main deck dominated by shipping containers surrounded by barbed wire.
Schofield affirmed that the participating activists were subjected to violence by the Israeli forces, despite claims from Israel’s foreign minister that they were “taken off unharmed.”
“They took people into the fourth shipping container and beat them with the butts of their rifles and batons, and with their fists and their feet,” he said.
“I saw a man shot at point-blank range with a rubber bullet in the leg and in the back. A friend of mine who was in the American delegation told me he was dragged into that fourth shipping container and repeatedly kicked in the testicles, among many other places that they beat him.”
Schofield added that he witnessed a young Colombian woman being repeatedly punched in the ribs by an Israeli soldier.
“I had two flash-bang grenades thrown directly at my feet as I was sitting opposite the entrance to the prison yard, and I had to duck out of the way before they exploded in my face,” he told the Guardian.
“I was forced into stress positions, kneeling on the floor for lengths of time with my head slammed against the ground,” he added.
