New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is calling for the release of activists detained after Israeli forces intercepted a Gaza-bound flotilla.
Israeli forces boarded more than 20 vessels carrying about 175 activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla in the Mediterranean Sea near Crete. The group had sailed from Barcelona, Spain, earlier this month, aiming to challenge the blockade and deliver humanitarian aid. Several New Yorkers were among those detained, according to Mamdani.
“My team has been in direct contact … to confirm the whereabouts and conditions of these New Yorkers,” Mamdani said on X, calling the operation a “brazen violation of international law” and urging the activists’ release.
Most detainees have since been freed, but two, Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Avila, remain in Israeli custody. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said they are “suspected of affiliation with a terrorist organization” and “suspected of illegal activity,” respectively.
Greece said it is coordinating with Israel to facilitate the activists’ return, noting it is “in consultation … regarding safe disembarkation.”
Israel defended the operation as necessary to enforce what it called a lawful blockade, saying “an early action was required” and that the boarding was conducted “peacefully and without any casualties.”
In a separate statement, Israeli officials described the flotilla as “another provocation” and reiterated that “Israel will not allow the breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza.”
Flotilla organizers said their mission was to “challenge Israel’s illegal blockade” and push for humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The incident has sparked protests in Rome, Istanbul, and Athens, Greece, on Thursday.
At the same time, some global leaders condemned the Israeli navy’s action.
Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez accused Israel of “violating international law,” while Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called for the immediate release of “all the unlawfully detained Italians.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. Board of Peace said it is working on plans for Gaza’s recovery, including steps toward disarmament and governance transition to “accelerate aid and rebirth.”
It also supported Israel’s capture of the flotilla, calling it a “performative love-boat activism of people who know nothing of and care even less for the condition of Gazans.”
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“It is distasteful to trade on the misery of people to build your social media profile,” it said, adding that activists should instead pressure Hamas to rebuild the communities it “destroyed.”
The latest confrontation is the second attempt by the Global Sumud Flotilla to break the Gaza blockade. Less than a year ago, Israel deported more than 470 people, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.