RESTRICTION: USERS MUST CREDIT "GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA" HANDOUT — EDITORIAL USE ONLY — SHOTLIST: MEDITERRANEAN SEA (OCTOBER 3, 2025) (GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA - RESTRICTED) 1. VARIOUS OF ACTIVIST INSIDE GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA SCRIPT Israeli naval forces intercepted an international aid flotilla bound for the besieged Gaza Strip on Tuesday, Oct. 2, organizers said. The Global Sumud Flotilla reported that Israeli forces surrounded the vessels as they sailed toward Gaza in a bid to challenge the years-long Israeli blockade. The International Committee for Breaking the Siege on Gaza (ICBSG) confirmed that six ships, including the Alma, Sirius, Adara and Deir Yassin, were raided. Several activists posted videos on social media showing Israeli naval boats approaching the convoy and ordering them to change course. The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed that some activists were detained and would be moved to an Israeli port. The footage from the flotilla showed activists raised their hands to show they were unarmed as Israeli naval forces attack the vessels. The Israeli raid came despite appeals by international organizations, including Amnesty International, for the protection of the aid flotilla. The UN also warned that any attack on the convoy would be unacceptable. Israel, as the occupying power, has previously intercepted Gaza-bound ships, seized their cargo, and deported activists on board. The flotilla, loaded mainly with humanitarian aid and medical supplies, set sail at the end of August. It was the first time in years that more than 50 ships have sailed together toward Gaza, carrying 532 civilian supporters from over 45 countries. Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million population, for nearly 18 years, and further tightened the siege in March when it closed border crossings and blocked food and medicine deliveries, pushing the enclave into famine. Since October 2023, Israeli bombardment has killed more than 66,100 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The UN and rights groups have repeatedly warned that the enclave is being rendered uninhabitable, with starvation and disease spreading rapidly.