Urgent statement. IWU-FI
On Wednesday, 29 April, ships of the Israeli navy attacked nearly 60 vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla in the Mediterranean Sea. The flotilla was en route to Gaza on a humanitarian solidarity mission with the Palestinian people.
This marks yet another illegal and repressive interception in international waters near the island of Crete, Greece, as the vessels headed to resupply on their way to Palestine. The Israeli naval forces were operating 1,100 kilometres from both Gaza and Israel.
The action potentially violates maritime law and UNCLOS, limiting interdiction powers in international waters to cases like piracy or with flag state consent (El País, 29 April 2026).
The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed its repressive action, publishing a message on X showing images purportedly of the loading of the Flotilla’s boats.
“Military boats approached our ships, identifying themselves as Israeli, pointing lasers and semi-automatic weapons at us and ordering the participants to go to the front of the boats and kneel,” the Flotilla stated on its X account. It also reported that the boats’ communications were being intercepted.
The Flotilla had departed last Sunday from the Italian port of Augusta, in Sicily. The flotilla is made up of hundreds of volunteer participants from various countries around the world.
All of this is happening because of the impunity Israel enjoys for its criminal and genocidal actions. It acts freely on the doorsteps of Greece and Italy, with no government of the European Union (EU) lifting a finger. It is yet another example of the reprehensible actions of the Zionist state of Israel, which believes it has the right to act militarily in any way and in any place. Whether it be the Palestinian people, the Lebanese, or the Iranians, this has the unconditional support of the US and the far-right Donald Trump.
No information was available regarding the situation of the crews and the hundreds of activists participating in the Flotilla at the time of writing. Among the Flotilla members are railway worker Mónica Schlotthauer, a member of parliament for the Socialist Left (IS) and the FITU in Argentina; Ezequiel Peressini, a leader of IS and the IWU-FI; and Gorkem Duru, a leader of the Workers’ Democratic Party (IDP) of Turkey and of the IWU-FI.
The IWU-FI urgently demands that authorities clarify the status and situation of the detained Flotilla members, guarantee their safety, and assure that no one will subject them to any kind of aggression. We demand that governments worldwide, especially those of the countries of the flotilla’s members, intervene to ensure the safety and lives of the flotilla’s participants and their immediate release. We also demand the return of all humanitarian aid and the flotilla’s vessels.
The IWU-FI urges global street mobilisation, uniting social, political, trade union, and youth groups to demand these points, supporting the Sumud Global Flotilla and the Palestinian struggle.
Immediate release of the Sumud Global Flotilla!
Free Palestine, from the river to the sea!
International Workers’ Unity-Fourth International (IWU-FI)
29 April 2026