The Global Sumud Flotilla reported on Wednesday that most of its ships lost live broadcast capabilities after Israeli naval forces surrounded the convoy en route to Gaza, aiming to break the long-standing blockade.
Organizers said the interception occurred as Israeli warships blocked communications and moved to halt the convoy in international waters.
The International Committee for Breaking the Siege on Gaza (ICBSG) confirmed that Israeli forces stormed the ships Alma and Sirius.
"Around 8:30 pm Gaza time (1730 GMT), several vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla, including the Alma, Sirius and Adara, were illegally intercepted and boarded by Israeli occupation forces in international waters," the flotilla said.
"Beyond the confirmed interceptions, live streams and communications with several other vessels have been lost," the statement added.
Several activists posted videos on social media confirming that Israeli naval boats approached the convoy and ordered them to change course.
"We are being attacked right now by the Zionist (Israeli) army," the ICBSG said on X.
"High Alert. Our vessels are being illegally intercepted. Cameras are offline, and vessels have been boarded by military personnel."
The committee said the captain of the ship Alma, the lead vessel in the flotilla, defied an order from the Israeli army to stop.
"Some ships have already been intercepted and a state of emergency has been declared aboard all vessels," it added.
The flotilla said early Thursday that Israeli navy forces were using "active aggression" on their fleet.
"Florida vessel has been deliberately rammed at sea. Yulara, Meteque and others have been targeted with water cannons," the Global Sumud Flotilla said in a post on Telegram.
All passengers on board are unharmed, the Global Sumud Flotilla said.
An activist on the social media platform X said he was aboard one of more than 40 private boats, about 70 to 80 nautical miles from the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli navy had ordered the crews of some vessels to shut off their engines and wait for further instructions, he said, putting the number of Israeli ships at between 10 and 12.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, a group of motor and sailing boats, set out from Barcelona at the end of August.
No immediate details were available about detentions or the fate of the ships.
Israel has repeatedly warned the flotilla to turn back from its naval blockade of the Gaza Strip and change its course.
The flotilla, loaded mainly with humanitarian aid and medical supplies, set sail at the end of August and was expected to reach Gaza's coast on Thursday morning under normal circumstances.
This marked the first time in years that more than 50 ships have sailed together toward Gaza, carrying 532 civilian supporters from over 45 countries to the enclave of 2.4 million Palestinians that has been under Israeli blockade for roughly 18 years.
Israel tightened the siege further on March 2 by closing all border crossings and blocking food, medicine, and aid, pushing Gaza into famine despite aid trucks piling up at its borders.
The Israeli army has killed over 66,100 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.
