Intercepted at last: Israeli Navy boards “Marinette” off Gaza; Flotilla says 42 vessels stopped and 473 people detained

The Israeli navy intercepted the “Marinette” on Friday, the last boat in the Global Sumud Flotilla still sailing toward Gaza. A live feed showed the approach of a military vessel and the boarding at around 10:29 local time, 42.5 nautical miles off the Gaza coast. With this, the Flotilla says 42 vessels have been stopped since Wednesday. In total, 473 people were transferred to Saharonim prison in the Negev desert, according to information compiled by RTVE.

#BREAKING 🚨

Israeli soldiers have boarded the Marinette of the #GlobalSumudFlotilla and taken the activists captive.

The livestream ended abruptly after a soldier smashed the camera upon boarding. 🚢🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/mQia5ZklY4

— Global Sumud Flotilla (@GlobalSumud) October 3, 2025

The operation concludes the first wave of the maritime mission that set sail from Spain, Tunisia, Italy, and Greece with international volunteers and humanitarian cargo, according to the same source.

Israel boards the “Marinette”: coordinates and key figures from the operation

The “Marinette” (Polish-flagged, 6 crew) fell behind due to a malfunction and was not intercepted during the Wednesday–Thursday operation. It was boarded on Friday 42.5 miles from Gaza. With this action, the entire Global Sumud Flotilla was neutralized, and its participants, 473 in total, were taken to Saharonim.

What the Flotilla says: “illegal interception” and mass transfers

In an October 2 statement, the organization denounced “illegal interception” in international waters and the “abduction” of participants, as well as communication blackouts, the use of water cannons, and “skunk water.” It said hundreds were taken aboard the MSC Johannesburg and reported an estimate of 443 volunteers “forcibly removed” from their vessels, with minimal information to mount a defense.

The statement argues that intercepting humanitarian vessels in international waters constitutes a war crime and called for action by governments and institutions to guarantee safety, access to lawyers, and release.

Journalists among those detained

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned the detention of “more than 20 international journalists” during the Israeli operation, with reporters from Spain (El País), Qatar (Al Jazeera), Italy (RAI), Turkey (TRT) and France (L’Humanité) among those arrested, according to RTVE.

Israel’s official account

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that no vessel managed to breach the “naval blockade” of Gaza and that all activists would be deported to Europe. “The provocation is over,” the ministry said.

Another mission still en route: the “Thousand Madleens”

As the interception of the “Marinette” was completed, another humanitarian mission, the Freedom Flotilla–Thousand Madleens, continues sailing with nine boats near Crete, according to its public tracking cited by RTVE.

“We won’t stop”: the voice of the organization

The organizer of the Global Sumud Flotilla, Noelia Fernández, said:

“The idea is that this movement does not stop. If we are detained, we will set sail again—and not only at sea; on land, it should not stop either (…) It is a movement that cannot stop until Palestine is free.”

(Statement cited by RTVE).

Legal support, deportations and international monitoring

Lawyers from Adalah represent part of the crew and said that, initially, they received minimal updates about the whereabouts and condition of those detained, according to the October 2 statement. At that time, they expected “processing under detention” in Ashdod; with today’s operation, RTVE confirms the transfer to Saharonim.

The Global Sumud Flotilla also described a “chain” barrier in the open sea that allegedly blocked passage in the international domain —where the organization maintains that Israel has no jurisdiction, nor over “the waters and coastline of Gaza”— and reiterated its goal to “break the siege” and end the genocide against the Palestinian people