Israeli prosecutors have moved to confiscate 50 foreign vessels intercepted during a recent maritime attempt to breach the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.
In a petition to the Haifa District Court, the State Attorney’s Office asserted that the “Sumud Flotilla,” which sailed last month, represented an unprecedented operational challenge to the Israeli Navy, with many boats owned or financed by the Hamas terrorist group.
The petition states that Israeli forces intercepted 41 vessels on Yom Kippur and nine more the following week, detaining activists and seizing boats that combined carried “less than five tons” of humanitarian supplies—an amount authorities said underscored the flotilla’s real aim: generating global headlines.
“Hamas worked to finance the flotilla, to synchronize the various international organizations, and to purchase ships, all while attempting to conceal its involvement in the flotilla,” according to the petition.
It called it “an unprecedented flotilla in its scope and dimensions, with orderly planning and centralized management, all with the aim of challenging the navy and breaking the maritime blockade. ... The movement of the vessels was carried out in a manner similar to the conduct of military vessels sailing in a single convoy.”
The petition cited international law allowing states to seize vessels attempting to violate blockades, and noted that intelligence indicates plans for future protest flotillas linked to Hamas are underway.
Prosecutors argued that permanent confiscation is necessary to deter similar efforts and protect national security.
