The Global Steadfastness Flotilla declared a state of maximum alert on Wednesday evening, anticipating that its ships would be intercepted within an hour. This followed the detection of unidentified vessels and jamming incidents that caused some of its boats to lose contact as they advanced toward the coast of the Gaza Strip in an effort to break the naval blockade imposed on the territory.
The International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza said that Israeli boats surrounded the ships of the Steadfastness Flotilla as they approached the coast of the Gaza Strip. The Global Steadfastness Flotilla announced in a Facebook post that the transmission of most of the ships heading to Gaza had been cut off.
The Global Steadfastness Flotilla added that “Israel contacted us and requested that we change the course of our ships heading to Gaza, but we confirm that we are proceeding on our way.”
The flotilla’s account on the X platform published a warning, stating: “It is likely that an illegal interception of the Global Steadfastness Flotilla will occur within the next hour.”
It added that there were “approximately 12 unidentified vessels 5-15 nautical miles away,” and that signal interference and loss of contact with some ships had been reported.
Live footage from some of the boats showed activists resorting to putting on life jackets, while the teams continued to navigate toward their destination.
In another post on X, the International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza reported that “more than 20 Israeli ships are approaching our flotilla,” without providing further details as of 17:10 GMT.
The Steadfastness Flotilla had previously announced Wednesday evening that it was 90 nautical miles (about 166 kilometers) from the coast of Gaza, confirming its continued sailing “after a night marked by intimidation tactics from the Israeli side.”
