The humanitarian mission of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was attempting to reach Gaza, ended with the detention of hundreds of activists. Yesterday evening , the Israeli navy blocked all boats heading to the Strip.

"Another propaganda flotilla has come to an end: all 430 activists have been transferred to Israeli ships and are en route to Israel, where they will meet with their consular representatives," the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement released overnight.

Among the arrested activists, 29 are Italian, two of them Sardinian. They are Ilaria Mancosu and Gianfranco Frongia . The former was aboard the Amazon. Frongia, on the other hand, was part of the Last Dream crew.

Tensions were high yesterday during the boardings . Israel blocked all the flotilla's boats, including the ten that had escaped the attack yesterday and continued sailing toward Gaza. When they reached within a hundred nautical miles of the Strip, the Israeli navy attacked them, this time using live ammunition, firing at six vessels, including an Italian one.

The Global Sumud Flotilla itself denounced the incident, specifying that it did not know whether the bullets were rubber bullets. However, it called for the Italian government to protect the activists, including the 29 Italians scheduled to be disembarked in the port of Ashdod . Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani intervened immediately, calling for "an urgent investigation into the use of force by the Israeli authorities." He also asked the Italian Ambassador to Israel, Luca Ferrari, to formally request that everyone be treated with dignity, fully protected, and guaranteed safety.

The flotilla—54 vessels—set out Thursday from the Turkish district of Marmaris. The day before, a first batch of vessels were intercepted off the coast of Cyprus, followed by the latest attacks. Now all the activists—including the 29 Italians and three people with different passports but resident in Italy— will be taken to Ashdod .

The idea that the activists could be released as quickly as when, in April, all participants (except Thiago Ávila and Saif Abu Keshek) were released in Crete has faded . Now, however, those detained face two options: immediate expulsion for those who consent, or within 24 hours for the others, barring—as happened with Ávila and Keshek—questioning or further investigation. The activists, including the Italian ones, including M5S MP Dario Carotenuto, will once again be assisted by the legal team of the NGO Adalah.

Since yesterday, Italy, through Minister Tajani, has called for his "immediate release," and Italian diplomacy is committed to resolving the matter.

For the Global Sumud Flotilla, the presence of Italian citizens and vessels places on the Italian state "a specific positive obligation to protect." Specifically, the GSF calls for immediate intervention to protect the crews, condemning the opening of fire, and initiating criminal proceedings.

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