Greta Thunberg arrested as Israeli naval forces take control of flotilla boats 75 miles from Gaza

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was arrested and taken into custody by the Israeli naval forces as they boarded the two boats from a pro-Palestinian flotilla roughly 75 miles off the coast of Gaza. The Israeli authorities stopped the vessels as they attempted to breach the maritime blockade of the war-torn territory and bring aid.

Thunberg was on the Alma in the flotilla when she was arrested at the port of Ashdod. The Israeli military eventually announced that they had taken control of six vessels: Sirus, Alma, Spectra, Hoga, Adara, and Deir Yassin, which were heading to the Palestinian coastal enclave with aid.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Israeli foreign ministry shared a video of Thunberg’s arrest. “Already several vessels of the Hamas-Sumud flotilla have been safely stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port. Greta and her friends are safe and healthy,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Already several vessels of the Hamas-Sumud flotilla have been safely stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port.
Greta and her friends are safe and healthy. pic.twitter.com/PA1ezier9s

— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) October 1, 2025

Alma was the first flotilla vessel raised by the Israeli forces on Wednesday night. In a video message posted on Instagram shortly before the interception, Thunberg said: “My name is Greta Thunberg. I am on board the ship Alma. We are about to be intercepted by Israel.”

Israeli authorities intercept six boats

It is pertinent to note that the Global Sumud Flotilla consists of more than 40 civilian boats carrying about 500 parliamentarians, lawyers and activists, including Thunberg. The boats were heading towards Gaza, bringing humanitarian aid to the civilians stuck there despite repeated warnings from Israel to turn back.

According to The Guardian, the vessels were sailing in international waters north of Egypt on Wednesday afternoon when monitoring by Israeli authorities began. The Jewish nation eventually noted that the boats entered the “danger zone” or “high risk zone”, prompting the Israeli military to intervene.

Around 7:25 pm (local time), roughly 20 Israeli naval ships approached the flotilla and ordered the boats to turn off their engines, The Guardian reported. Live footage from the flotilla showed passengers seated in a semicircle, wearing life jackets as they awaited interception. The broadcast cut off shortly afterwards.

“Our vessels are being illegally intercepted,” a message on the flotilla’s Instagram page read on Wednesday evening. “Cameras are offline, and vessels have been boarded by military personnel. We are actively working to confirm the safety and status of all participants on board.”

While the Israeli authorities took control of six vessels, reports are emerging that some boats are still moving forward as Israeli naval vessels attempted to block their passage using water cannon. Footage broadcast by Sky Italia showed activists on deck being hit by powerful jets of water.

Protests erupt in Italy

The flotilla was insisting on continuing the journey to Gaza despite multiple Israeli warnings. Early in the morning, activists said two Israeli warships had aggressively approached two of their boats, circling them and jamming their communications, including the live onboard cameras.

Meanwhile, Italy’s Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, said on Wednesday that his Israeli counterpart assured him that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) would not use violence against activists on board the flotilla. “The boarding was planned, we are talking about it … with [the Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar] so that there would be no violent actions on the part of the Tel Aviv armed forces, and this has been assured to me,” Antonio Tajani said to the Italian TV broadcaster Rai.

“We instructed our embassy in Tel Aviv and the consulate in Jerusalem to assist all Italians who will probably be taken to Ashdod, but then will be expelled,” he added. While all this was happening, thousands of people took to the streets across Italy to protest against Israeli raids, with demonstrations erupting in Bari, Bologna, Genoa, Milan, Naples, Pisa and Rome.