Gaza: Multinational humanitarian convoy Global Sumud Flotilla says it has entered the ‘high-risk zone,’ the area where similar flotillas were attacked or intercepted by the Israeli regime. ‘We are on high alert,’ the GSF said in a post on social media, with Israeli ‘drone activity increasing over the flotilla.’ ‘Several reports point at different scenarios unfolding in the coming hours.’ ‘The vessels have now left the Flotilla. We continue to sail to Gaza, approaching the 120 nautical mile mark, near the area where previous flotillas have been intercepted and/or attacked,’ the GSF added.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, earlier reports indicated that Israeli navy vessels had reportedly moved in to intercept the Global Sumud Flotilla. The GSF said on Wednesday morning that it had its ‘first encounter’ with Israeli Navy vessels, which circled the fleet’s ‘lead boat for around six minutes’ and remotely disabled its communication systems. It added that the Alma’s captain had to make ‘a strong evasive maneuver’ to ‘avoid frontal collision.’

The Global Sumud Flotilla, made up of about 50 ships with over 500 activists onboard, set sail earlier this month to break Israel’s blockade and deliver humanitarian aid, particularly medical supplies, to the Gaza Strip. Gaza has been under a full blockade since June 2007. The Israeli military has killed over 66,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.