Israeli naval forces, including commandos from the elite Shayetet 13 unit, began taking control of boats participating in the latest Turkish Gaza-bound flotilla on Monday, according to videos and accounts posted to social media by activists aboard the vessels.
Footage and posts published by flotilla participants showed Israeli forces boarding the vessels and detaining activists on board. They were reportedly being transferred to a larger Israeli Navy vessel before being taken to Ashdod.
There was no immediate official Israeli military statement confirming the full scope of the operation or the number of vessels intercepted.
🚨 The Israel Navy is at this hour seizing control of a flotilla attempting to break Gaza maritime blockade that set from Turkey. pic.twitter.com/074awEZDzx
— Eretz Israel (@EretzIsrael) May 18, 2026
The Turkish flotilla, which includes 53 vessels, was organized by the IHH — the same group behind the Mavi Marmara flotilla.
The flotilla is an element of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), which departed Turkey for Gaza on Thursday on its second blockade run, the first of which occured in April and ended with 20 of its vessels intercepted by the Israeli Navy.
RED ALERT!
Military vessels are currently intercepting our fleet and IOF forces are boarding the first of our boats in broad daylight.
We demand safe passage for our legal, non-violent humanitarian mission. Governments must act now to stop these illegal acts or piracy meant to… pic.twitter.com/4RmPuswZNo
— Global Sumud Flotilla (@gbsumudflotilla) May 18, 2026
On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a preliminary security consultation regarding the flotilla, which includes Hamas supporters, an Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post.
In addition to the naval flotilla, a 30-vehicle land convoy set out from Libya to Gaza on Saturday as part of the GSF.
Foreign Ministry: Flotilla is a ‘provocation’ serving Hamas
Earlier Monday, the Foreign Ministry dismissed the flotilla as “a provocation for the sake of provocation,” saying the convoy was not a genuine humanitarian mission and accusing its organizers of seeking to aid Hamas politically.
“Once again, a provocation for the sake of provocation: another so-called ‘humanitarian aid flotilla’ with no humanitarian aid,” the ministry said.
The ministry said two Turkish groups, Mavi Marmara and IHH, were involved in the flotilla, adding that IHH had been designated as a terrorist organization. It said the purpose of the flotilla was “to serve Hamas, to divert attention from Hamas’s refusal to disarm, and to obstruct progress on President Trump’s peace plan.”
The ministry also cited the Board of Peace, which oversees humanitarian activities in Gaza under UN Security Council Resolution 2803, saying the body had made clear that the flotilla was “only about publicity.” Israel said that since October 2025, more than 1.58 million tons of humanitarian aid and thousands of tons of medical supplies had entered Gaza.
“Israel will not allow any breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza,” the ministry said, calling on participants “to change course and turn back immediately.”
This is a breaking story.
Miriam Sela-Eitam contributed to this report.
