The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), on Wednesday night, intercepted Greta Thunberg’s flotilla, comprising dozens of ships, as it tried to breach Israeli waters, media reports claim.
“The Israeli Navy has begun to intercept the large flotilla attempting to break the Israeli maritime blockade on the Gaza Strip, according to activists,” The Times of Israel reported. “The 47-boat Global Sumud Flotilla is carrying over 500 activists, according to the organizers.”
The IDF did not verify the claims made by the activists on board the ships. “The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment about intercepting the vessels,” Reuters reported.
On Wednesday evening, Israel urged the flotilla to change course to avoid confrontation. The wartime naval blockade of Gaza is to prevent the smuggling of weapons into the terrorist-infested enclave.
“The Israeli Foreign Ministry said the navy had told the flotilla to change course as it was “approaching an active combat zone”. Israel has not yet confirmed it has boarded any vessels,” BBC reported. “Israel has previously said it would not let the flotilla reach its destination.”
Earlier today, Israeli media reports suggest that the military and navy were gearing up to intercept the flotilla. Israel’s Ynetnews reported Wednesday morning that “the IDF—and particularly the navy—are preparing for the possibility of forcibly taking control of the flotilla.” Additionally, the police were “readying some 600 officers for the activists’ expected arrival at Ashdod port after their arrest.”
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, accompanied by a bunch of B-list European celebrities, is sailing across the Mediterranean, drumming up support for her flotilla. This is her second time on a Gaza flotilla. In June 2025, Greta and fellow activists breached the Israeli waters on board a luxury yacht. The IDF intercepted the boat and deported them back to Europe. Thunberg was photographed cheerfully munching on a sandwich given by the Israeli troops.
Ahead of interception, the Israeli government released captured Hamas documents, showing direct links between the Gaza-based terrorist group and Greta Thunberg’s flotilla. Documents recovered from terrorists in Gaza, “prove Hamas’s direct involvement in the funding and execution of the “Sumud” flotilla to Gaza,” Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a press release on Tuesday.
Hamas isn’t merely involved in organizing the flotilla; it practically owns the ships heading towards Gaza, documents retrieved by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) prove.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry highlighted the role of the Hamas front organization, the Palestinian Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA), in organizing and financing the flotilla.
The PCPA operates as a front for Hamas. The outfit “functions as Hamas’ representative body abroad, operating de facto as Hamas’ embassies,” the MFA revealed. Under “the pretense of civilian cover,” the organization is used by Hamas “for mobilizing actions against Israel, including violent demonstrations, marches against Israel, and demonstration and provocation flotillas.”
The Israeli ministry also released a letter signed by the slain Hamas terror chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in a 2024 Israeli airstrike near Tehran. “In the letter, Haniyeh publicly endorses the PCPA organization,” the Israeli foreign ministry said. “It should be noted that Israel designated the PCPA as a terrorist organization in 2021 due to it being a wing of Hamas.”
Another document lists the names of PCPA funtinoaries, showing that some of them are “high-ranking well-known Hamas operatives,” the ministry said.
Thunberg’s flotilla is not only supported by Hamas, but practically owned by it. “Hamas-aligned PCPA operative, Abu Kashk, is the CEO of Cyber Neptune, a front company in Spain that owns dozens of the ships participating in the “Sumud” flotilla. Thus, these ships are secretly owned by Hamas,” the MFA disclosed.
The Israeli TV channel i24NEWS reported the revelations:
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released official Hamas documents found by the IDF in the Gaza Strip that prove Hamas’s direct involvement in the funding and execution of the Sumud flotilla to Gaza.While Hamas in the Gaza Strip is responsible for what goes on within its borders, the terrorist organization also has internationally placed branches responsible for its activity abroad. The Palestinian Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA) organization is one such branch, linked to Hamas and serving as a wing of the movement.The PCPA was established in 2018 and functions as Hamas’s representative body abroad, operating as its embassies.The organization operates under the pretense of civilian cover and is responsible for mobilizing actions against Israel, including violent demonstrations, marches against Israel, and demonstration and provocation flotillas on behalf of Hamas. Israel designated the PCPA as a terrorist organization in 2021 due to it being a wing of Hamas.One official Hamas document found in the Gaza Strip is a letter from 2021 signed by the head of the Hamas Political Bureau Ismail Haniyeh, calling on the PCPA chairman for unity. In the letter, Haniyeh publicly endorses the PCPA organization.The second is a list of PCPA operatives, some of whom are high-ranking, well-known Hamas operatives. Among the names on the list is Zaher Birawi, who serves as head of the PCPA’s Hamas sector in the UK and who is known as a leader of the demonstration flotillas to the Gaza Strip over the past 15 years. Another name is Saif Abu Kashk, an operative from the organization in Spain. In addition to being a Hamas-aligned PCPA operative, Abu Kashk is the CEO of Cyber Neptune, a front company in Spain that owns dozens of the ships participating in the Sumud flotilla.This document was found in a Hamas outpost in the Gaza Strip and once again proves the direct connection between the flotilla leaders and Hamas.
Despite President Trump waiting to hear from Hamas on his 20-point Gaza ceasefire plan, the terrorist group on Wednesday fired rockets at Israel.
On Tuesday, President Trump gave the terrorist group up to four days to respond to his offer. “We’re going to do about three or four days,” he said. “We’re just waiting for Hamas, and Hamas is either going to be doing it or not. And if it’s not, it’s going to be a very sad end.”
Meanwhile, the Israeli armed forces are keeping up the pressure on Hamas, advancing deeper into its main stronghold of Gaza City. “IDF troops continue to operate in the Gaza City area,” the Israeli military said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Over the past day, IDF troops identified several terrorists operating in the area and swiftly eliminated them,” the military added. “Additionally, several terrorists who were operating in a weapons storage facility were eliminated in an airstrike.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz again urged civilians to evacuate Gaza City as the IDF closes in on the Hamas-controlled bastion. For weeks, the IDF has been dropping leaflets and reaching out to the Gaza City residents through text and pre-recorded messages on mobile phones, telling them to evacuate the possible combat zone.
The IDF has created safe areas in the southern Gaza Strip to accommodate displaced civilians. According to estimates released last week, around 700,000 of Gaza City’s one million residents have already been evacuated.
The Times of Israel reports:
Defense Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday that the IDF is close to encircling Gaza City and that residents have a “last opportunity” to flee but will need to go through Israeli checkpoints, as Hamas was set to respond to a US ceasefire proposal that Israel agreed to. (…)Meanwhile, terrorists in the northern Gaza Strip fired two rockets at southern Israel, which were intercepted by the IDF Wednesday afternoon. The attack, which set off sirens in Gaza border communities, did not result in damage or injuries.
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