All available resources mobilized after Israeli attack disrupts Gaza-bound aid flotilla, organizer says

Halil Ibrahim Ciger and Bekir Aydogan

A board member of the Global Sumud Flotilla said Thursday that they have mobilized all available resources after an Israeli military attack on a Gaza-bound aid convoy in the eastern Mediterranean, which left them without contact with 21 boats.

Aycin Kantoglu, a board member of the flotilla, told Anadolu that although the intervention came earlier than expected, the group was not unprepared.

“Even though it was an early and unexpected intervention, we are not unprepared,” Kantoglu said. “We are mobilizing all our resources.”

The flotilla, which set sail to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid, had been expanding with participation from across the Mediterranean. Organizers had planned to bring more than 100 vessels and over 1,000 activists to Gaza’s coast, Kantoglu said.

Following the overnight attack, Kantoglu said contact had been lost with 21 of the 58 boats that were sailing in the Mediterranean. They are certain that at least eight boats were attacked, with visual evidence available for three of them.

Other vessels have sought refuge in Greek territorial waters, she said.

The flotilla included participants from a range of professions, including doctors, health workers and teachers, said Kantoglu.

Additional boats were expected to depart from Greek ports, with final contributions planned from Turkish ports, she added.

Kantoglu noted that the attack occurred near the same location where a previous flotilla was targeted last year, adding that such missions require readiness for all scenarios.

“Activists must undergo continuous training to participate in this organization,” she said. “We prepare ourselves for every possible outcome.”

Global Sumud Flotilla

The Global Sumud Flotilla’s 2026 Spring Mission, aimed at breaking Israel’s blockade of Gaza and delivering vital humanitarian aid, set sail into the Mediterranean on April 12 from Barcelona.

After additional participants joined in Sicily, the flotilla resumed its journey on April 26. Late on April 29, in international waters off the coast of Crete, Israeli forces carried out an unlawful intervention, attacking boats carrying activists.

According to flotilla officials, the vessels were carrying 345 participants from 39 countries, including Turkish nationals.

There is no reliable information yet on the fates of the civilians aboard the vessels subject to the attack, which took place about 600 nautical miles from Gaza and a few miles outside of Greek territorial waters.

Flotilla officials said Israeli forces seized 21 boats, while 17 vessels reached Greek waters and 14 others are currently en route.