Israel’s interception of the Freedom Flotilla has intensified debate over the limits of state power at sea, raising questions about jurisdiction in international waters and the legality of the Gaza blockade.

Between 29th and 30th April 2026, Israeli naval forces intercepted 22 boats belonging to the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters to the west of Crete. The boats were carrying activists and humanitarian supplies in an attempt to challenge the blockade of Gaza and deliver aid. On 1 May, 173 of the 175 participants were transferred to Crete while two of them, Thiago Ávila from Brazil and Saif Abukeshek, a Palestinian with Spanish and Swedish citizenship, were deported and detained in Israel on charges of “membership of a terrorist organization”. 

The location of the incident was roughly 500-600 nautical miles from Gaza, and about 45 nautical miles west of the Greek island of Kythira, fully open sea, governed by the high seas regime of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, UNCLOS. Under this Convention, vessels on the high seas fall under the jurisdiction of their State.  Therefore, Israel had no automatic legal right to board or seize these ships simply because of their proximity to Greece or their intended destination. Based on participant testimonies and evidence, boarding was not a neutral or minimally forceful procedure, as Israeli forces approached in military vessels, pointed firearms and lasers at civilians and ordered passengers to kneel on deck. Communications and navigation systems were reportedly jammed.  Additionally,  detainees and their legal representatives have alleged mistreatment, which includes physical restraint, blindfolding, and isolation during transfer and detention. Organizers immediately described the operation as “piracy,” invoking UNCLOS definitions concerning unlawful seizure at sea for coercive or political purposes.  

READ: Trump’s new Iran negotiator is Israel lobbyist who denounced talks with Tehran

Meanwhile, the........

© Middle East Monitor