More than 30 vessels of the Global Sumud flotilla have gathered in Marmaris on Turkiye’s Aegean coast as activists prepare what organisers call the final leg of a Gaza-bound mission, regional reporting and organisers said on May 10. Several dozen people intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off Greece at the end of April are being processed for return or deportation, and a group of 137 deportees was flown to Istanbul from Israel, separate reports said. The mobilisation in Turkiye involves volunteers from more than 40 countries and organisers say the mission will carry food, baby formula and medical supplies to Gaza. Organisers and Turkish backers describe the voyage as a peaceful civilian humanitarian effort, while Israeli authorities have defended their interdictions.

More than 30 vessels of what organisers call the Global Sumud flotilla have gathered in Marmaris on Turkiye’s Aegean coast, regional reporting and flotilla spokespeople said. Preparations there include coordinating ships, crews and volunteers for a planned transit toward Gaza, with Turkish delegations and civil society groups publicly supporting the movement.

What organisers say and who's involved

Organisers and spokespeople in Turkiye said volunteers and activists from more than 40 countries are involved. A Turkish delegation speaker, Hüseyin Durmaz, identified at a news conference as a delegation spokesperson, said the initiative unites participants from across Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Arab world and that preparations were under way in Turkiye for volunteers to join the mission.

Organiser statements published in regional reporting said the civilian-led mission intends to carry humanitarian supplies for Gaza, including food, baby formula and medical supplies. Supporters in Turkiye described the effort as a peaceful, civilian attempt to deliver essentials directly to the Gaza Strip and to draw international attention to the enclave’s humanitarian situation.

Regional reporting and organisers noted that the Marmaris mobilisation is part of a larger, multinational effort. Some accounts imply a long-running campaign involving ships that departed from different ports, but details on sequencing and timing vary between organisational updates and other dispatches.

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Intercepts, detainees and conflicting accounts

Israeli authorities said they intercepted multiple boats in international waters near Crete and off Greece at the end of April, removed activists to Israeli custody, and were processing deportations.

Israel’s foreign ministry and Israeli officials thanked Greece for receiving some participants in disembarkation arrangements, and Israel’s foreign ministry said it wished to complete deportations quickly while emphasising detainees were safe.

One account attributed to Israeli statements said roughly 175 activists had been taken from more than 20 vessels and were en route back to Israel after the April interceptions. Other reporting presented a broader figure, describing roughly 450 activists detained in total. Those figures haven't been reconciled and the bundle of reports contains numeric discrepancies.

Separate accounts by activists and legal-aid groups describe the intercepts and the condition of detainees differently. Adalah, an Israeli legal group, made specific allegations about denied access to lawyers and basic needs. Activists and legal-aid organisations recorded by reporters alleged harsher treatment, including restricted access to lawyers, limited water and medication, and that detainees were zip-tied and forced to kneel for hours during transfers.

Regional reporting said several dozen activists intercepted in international waters off Greece at the end of April were in the process of being returned or deported to nearby countries. A group of 137 people whom Israel deported arrived in Istanbul after being flown from Israel, according to separate reports about the detainees. Irish reporting identified at least seven Irish citizens among those intercepted and said the Department of Foreign Affairs was providing consular assistance.

Irish activist Caoimhe Butterly, speaking from an observer vessel, described those detained as ranging in age from people in their mid-20s to a 76-year-old mariner. She said she had witnessed interceptions near Crete which she characterised as occurring more than 1,000 miles from Gazan waters, according to Irish reporting. Family members and national delegations sought consular help for detainees removed from intercepted vessels.

Organisers in Turkiye said preparations in Marmaris would continue while authorities in the region processed deportations and consular cases for those Israel removed from intercepted vessels. Reporting didn't provide a single, dated sailing plan for the Marmaris-to-Gaza leg.

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One account said a larger 70-vessel operation that originally set out from Barcelona and Tunisia in 2025 expected to reach Gaza in mid-September 2025, though sequencing and size figures differ between organisational updates and regional reports.

This article was created with AI assistance.