Gaza

Hamas has submitted its response to United States President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire deal, agreeing to free all the Israeli captives it holds, but asking to negotiate other aspects of the 20-point plan.

Trump – who had given the Palestinian group a deadline of Sunday to respond positively to the deal – has reacted by demanding Israel immediately stop bombing Gaza.

Is this finally the end of a war that has dragged on for almost two years, killing more than 66,000 Palestinians? Or are there more pitfalls ahead?

Let’s take a closer look.

How did Hamas respond exactly?

Hamas has said that it has agreed to release all Israeli captives held in Gaza, both dead and alive, “in a manner that achieves” an end to Israel’s war and a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

It also said that it would hand over power in Gaza to a body of Palestinian technocrats.

On the rest of Trump’s 20-point plan, which included the disarmament of Hamas, the group said that it should be “discussed within a comprehensive Palestinian national framework, in which Hamas will be included and will contribute with full responsibility”.

Has Trump responded positively?

Trump has welcomed the Hamas response, and wrote on his Truth Social site that he believes the Palestinian group are “ready for a lasting PEACE”.

In a major announcement, he also said that “Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza” so that the captives could be released.

“We are already in discussions on details to be worked out. This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East,” he wrote.

Trump then released a video message reiterating that he considered Hamas’s response a win.

“This is a big day. We’ll see how it all turns out. We have to get the final word down in concrete,” he said. “I just want to let you know that this is a very special day… Everyone was unified in wanting this war to end and seeing peace in the Middle East, and we’re very close to achieving that.”

What is Israel’s position?

Trump announced his Gaza peace plan on Monday, alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House.

Netanyahu said at the time that he supported Trump’s plan, because – he said – it would achieve Israel’s war aims.

“It will bring back to Israel all our hostages, dismantle Hamas’s military capabilities and its political rule, and ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel,” Netanyahu said.

But the prime minister also had some caveats. In the White House, Netanyahu noted that if Hamas rejected the plan, “or if they supposedly accept it and then basically do everything to counter it”, Israel would “finish the job by itself”.

And a few hours later, speaking in Hebrew to a domestic Israeli audience, Netanyahu said that he had not agreed to a Palestinian state, and promised that the Israeli military would stay in most of Gaza.

What will be the main sticking points?

Hamas has made it clear that it is not willing to accept several aspects of Trump’s plan, including an interim administration led by Trump and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

“We will never accept anyone who is not Palestinian to control the Palestinians,” Hamas senior official Mousa Abu Marzouk told Al Jazeera, adding that the appointment of Blair was particularly unwelcome because of his past involvement in the invasion of Iraq.

The topic of disarmament will also be problematic. Trump and Netanyahu say the group must immediately lay down its arms, but Hamas has only said that it is willing to discuss the topic.

“Hamas’s statement says that the future of Gaza – the future of the whole struggle – will be left to Palestinian consensus,” said Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem. “They want a broader Palestinian consensus to reach a final answer. So, what’s clear is that Hamas said, ‘Yes – but …’”

Will Israel really stop bombing Gaza?

The Israeli government is likely to be unhappy with Trump’s positive reaction because Hamas has not simply agreed to all its demands. It is already being reported, according to Axios reporter Barak Ravid, that Netanyahu was “surprised” at Trump’s response, and viewed Hamas’s answer as a “rejection” of the plan.

Netanyahu’s government is dominated by the far-right, who have warned that they will bring down the prime minister if he agrees to a deal that they do not like. For its part, the Israeli opposition has indicated that it supports the deal, but a lack of trust between them and Netanyahu means that a coalition between them will be difficult to achieve.

Much will now come down to how far Trump is willing to twist Netanyahu’s arm and force him to agree to a deal.

“You can imagine the forces gathering here in Washington, DC, right now, attempting to change Donald Trump’s mind,” said Al Jazeera’s Shihab Rattansi, reporting from Washington.

“All of this now depends on how committed he is and how much pressure the mediators … are putting on him to keep to the terms of this agreement [and] not, as in the past, allow Hamas to live up to the agreement and allow Israel to resume the war again,” Rattansi added.

In the meantime, Israel is continuing to bomb Gaza, with a particular focus on Gaza City. At least 72 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since dawn on Friday, according to medical sources.

US leader tells Israel it ‘must immediately stop’ bombing Gaza, says he believes Hamas is ‘ready for a lasting peace’.

UK police are urging organisers to cancel a pro-Palestine protest set to take place in London this weekend after Thursday’s deadly synagogue attack. Activists say the attack should not be conflated with protests over Israel’s genocidal war.

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets across Italy as part of a general strike in solidarity with the Global Sumud Flotilla that was intercepted by Israel this week while trying to bring aid to Palestinians in Gaza.

More than two million people attended Friday’s protests after the strike was called by a number of trade unions “in defence of the flotilla”, which was carrying a total of 40 Italians, and to “stop the genocide”, the CGIL (Italian General Confederation of Labour) wrote on X.

Turin-based daily La Stampa reported that the mobilisation involved the public and private sectors, “halting rail, air, metro, and bus transport, healthcare and schools. Among the many acts of dissent, protesters blocked highways near Pisa, Pescara, Bologna and Milan and shut down access to the port of Livorno, said the newspaper.

Police told the news agency AFP that more than 80,000 people demonstrated in Milan, where a sea of people clapped and waved the Palestinian flag as they made their way through the streets, carrying a massive banner reading: “Free Palestine, Stop the War Machine”.

“This is not just any strike. We’re here today to defend brotherhood among individuals, among peoples, to put humanity back at the centre, to say no to genocide, to a policy of rearmament,” CGIL leader Maurizio Landini was cited by the Reuters news agency as saying.

Reporting from Rome, Al Jazeera’s Milena Veselinovic said the turnout across the country included “so many people from various walks of life. You’ve got students, you’ve got retired people, many people with their small children also coming out”.

Major turnout expected in Rome on Saturday

Massive protests are planned for tomorrow in Rome, where the CGIL reported 300,000 participants on Friday, with crowds set to depart from the town square, Piazzale Ostiense, at 2:30pm (12:30 GMT).

“Today, we were hundreds of thousands. Tomorrow for Palestine we must be a million,” said Maya Issa, leader of the Palestinian Student Movement, cited by Rome-based daily La Repubblica.

Andrea Dessi, an assistant professor of international relations and global politics at the American University of Rome, told Al Jazeera that the Italian government had been “caught on its back foot”.

While Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni this week announced Italy would recognise a Palestinian state if Israeli captives were freed and Hamas was shut out of future governance, protesters believed Meloni’s support for a Palestinian state should have been unconditional, Dessi said.

“I believe that the pressure will continue to mount,” said Dessi. “We expect a major, major march tomorrow, Saturday, here in Rome, with activists and members, citizens coming to Rome from all of Italy,” he said.

Their demands include the release of remaining Italians from the Sumud Flotilla, unconditional support for a Palestinian state and “more serious sanctions” on Israel over its war on Gaza, he said.

Al Jazeera’s Veselinovic said that Italy’s right-wing government was unlikely to succumb to pressure. “That is probably unlikely to happen, considering that Italy is a major ally of Israel in the European Union. However, in the past few months, the government did adopt a slightly harsher tone towards Israeli officials, specifically because of actions like this protest,” she said.

The Italian government has criticised the strike, with Meloni suggesting that people were using the protests as an excuse to have a longer weekend break.

As the protests took place, Italy’s foreign ministry announced that Israel had released four Italian parliamentarians out of the 40 Italians detained from the flotilla. The two members of parliament and two members of the European Parliament were due to arrive back in Rome on Friday, the ministry said.

Worldwide reaction

Protests in solidarity with the humanitarian convoy, which included prominent figures like climate activist Greta Thunberg and a number of politicians, spread across continents on Thursday, from Europe to Australia and South America.

In Barcelona, where the flotilla began its voyage, about 15,000 demonstrators marched, chanting “Gaza, you are not alone,” “Boycott Israel,” and “Freedom for Palestine”. Former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau was among those intercepted at sea and now faces potential deportation along with fellow activists, including Nelson Mandela’s grandson.

The flotilla organisers said on Telegram on Friday that Israeli naval forces had “illegally intercepted all 42 of our vessels – each carrying humanitarian aid, volunteers, and the determination to break Israel’s illegal siege on Gaza”. Marinette, the last remaining boat, was intercepted at 10:29am (07:29 GMT) that morning, they said.

More than 470 flotilla participants were “taken into custody by the military police, subjected to rigorous screening, and transferred to the prison administration”, according to Israeli police cited by AFP.

Among those detained from the flotilla were more than 20 journalists, according to media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF), including reporters from Al Jazeera, Spain’s El Pais and Italy’s public broadcaster RAI.

Israel’s military applauded its naval forces for intercepting the flotilla, claiming the humanitarian mission attempted to breach its “maritime security blockade”.

“During Yom Kippur, in an operation that lasted approximately 12 hours, Israeli Navy personnel foiled a large-scale incursion attempt by hundreds of individuals aboard 42 naval vessels that declared their intention to break the lawful maritime security blockade adjacent to the Gaza Strip,” the military statement said.

Rights groups, several politicians and the UN’s Francesca Albanese have suggested Israel’s interception of the flotilla’s boats was illegal.

Protests in Israel

In Israel on Friday, protesters blocked a route into Gaza, staging a sit-in demanding that aid seized from the flotilla be allowed to enter the Palestinian territory. Dozens of protesters also tried to stop soldiers from entering the Strip, some carrying banners calling for an end to the genocide and for sanctions to be imposed on Israel.

Reporting from Amman, Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut said, “These are Israeli peace activists who say that they are not part of any larger organisation, but from branches of different organisations coming from all walks of life in solidarity with the … flotilla.”

Salhut reported that “more than 40 vessels” seized by the Israeli Navy were now sitting in the port of Ashdod, just north of the Gaza Strip.

“What these demonstrators are saying is that this flotilla should have been allowed to go to the Gaza Strip, but that the siege on the Palestinian territory needs to end and there needs to be other ways of ensuring that happens, whether it’s by air, land, or sea,” she said.

Oct. 3 (UPI) — Cori Bush announced her comeback bid for the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday.

Bush, who represents St. Louis and is a former member of the progressive ‘squad,’ was defeated in her primary by well-funded Rep. Wesley Bell, D-Mo.

“I ran for Congress because I know what it feels like to be a working-class St. Louisan. Too often unseen, unheard, left out,” Bush said in an ad. “I promised to fight for St. Louis, and we delivered.”

She posted on X: “We need a fighter who will lower costs, protect our communities, and make life fairer. I’ll be that fighter.”

The funding for Bell came from a super PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Bush had been an outspoken critic of Israel over the war in Gaza. The PAC spent more than $8.6 million to oust her.

In June 2024, another squad member Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., lost his primary to George Latimer, 70, who joined the race to support local Jewish leaders who didn’t like Bowman’s anti-Israel rhetoric.

Bush mentioned her defeat, saying, “Because I spoke truth, they pushed back, attacked my name, my motives, spread lies and hate.”

On X, Bell responded: “Today my former opponent, Cori Bush, entered the race for Congress. That’s her right, and in our democracy, everyone gets a say. But here’s the simple truth: Missouri voters already rendered their verdict when they voted her out of office last year and chose to move on.”

While Bush has been an outspoken critic of Israel since the Oct. 7, 2023, start of the war, other Democrats are growing weary as the war lingers.

Bell has also wavered.

“I’ve always supported Israel’s right to exist and defend itself. That hasn’t changed,” Bell said in July on X. “But supporting this government’s actions – allowing children to starve and firing on civilians seeking food — is something I can’t stand by.”

The United States’s 20-point plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza is not the same as the draft proposed by a group of Arab and Muslim countries, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said.

“I made it clear that the 20 points that President (Donald) Trump made public are not ours. Changes were made to our draft. I have the record,” Dar said, speaking to politicians on Friday, according to remarks carried by Dawn news.

His comments come after the White House on Monday released a plan with fanfare that would include a ceasefire, the return of all captives, Hamas disarmament, and a new political architecture for post-war Gaza – one that would exclude the Palestinian group.

Its release came a few minutes before Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood next to each other at the White House to announce the plan. There, Trump told Hamas it had 72 hours to accept the proposal. On Tuesday, he gave the Palestinian group three to four days to agree to the plan.

Meanwhile, Hamas political bureau member Mohammad Nazzal told Al Jazeera on Thursday that the group was discussing Trump’s plan and would soon announce its position on the proposal. “We are not dealing [with the plan] under the logic that time is a sword pointed at our neck,” Nazzal said.

The published document was presented as a joint effort between Israel, the US and a number of Arab and Muslim countries. Last week, several leaders from the Arab and Muslim world discussed the plan at a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

But while there are no official records of what was discussed at that mini-summit, Axios reported that the proposal announced by the American and Israeli leaders earlier this week contained “significant changes”, requested by Netanyahu, to the draft that had been agreed on by the Arab leaders and Trump.

The amendments were made during a six-hour meeting between Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Netanyahu, the report said. The revised version ties Israel’s withdrawal to Hamas’s disarmament and allows Israel – after a withdrawal in stages – to remain within a buffer zone inside the enclave until there are no risks of any “terror threat”, it added.

A group of eight Arab and Muslim countries, including Pakistan, Qatar, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia, welcomed Trump’s announcement in a joint statement.

Qatar has said that it agrees with the aims of the plan, and seeks further discussions on its details.

“If we speak of the main objectives, there are objectives that it [the US plan] achieves, such as ending the war, and there are things that need clarification, which certainly need discussions and negotiations,” Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani told Al Jazeera.

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty also said that more talks were needed. According to the US proposal, an international body chaired by Trump would have oversight, while a Palestinian technocratic committee would handle civilian governance until the Palestinian Authority reforms itself. To take care of security, according to the proposal, a stabilisation force would be deployed.

“There are a lot of holes that need to be filled; we need more discussions on how to implement it, especially on two important issues – governance and security arrangements,” Abdelatty said on Thursday.

Experts pointed out that there are sticking points. There are questions on whether Hamas will agree to disarm since it has repeatedly said it would not, as the main face of Palestinian armed resistance.

The current proposal also nods vaguely at how reforms may open a pathway to Palestinian statehood, which is not recognised as a right but as the “aspiration of the Palestinian people”.

The plan does not mention the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza – a significant shift from Trump’s earlier lambasted position when he suggested the relocation of the population outside the enclave to turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East”, which was heavily criticised as ethnic cleansing.

It also ruled out the occupation of Gaza and the annexation of the occupied West Bank – actions that Netanya’s far-right coalition members are pushing for.

Should Hamas refuse the deal, Trump ominously told Netanyahu, “You will have our full backing to do what you have to do.”

Israeli forces intercepted and boarded the Marinette, the last boat of the Global Sumud Flotilla that was still sailing towards Gaza. Crew members held up signs saying they saw warships approaching before soldiers boarded and detained them at gunpoint.

The Marinette is the final vessel of the Global Sumud Flotilla still heading towards Gaza after Israel intercepted nearly 40 others. The Polish-flagged boat is expected to be stopped within hours.

Egypt’s foreign minister says his country is working with Qatar and Turkiye to convince Hamas to accept United States President Donald Trump’s proposal to end Israel’s nearly two-year war on Gaza, and warned that the conflict would escalate if the Palestinian group refused.

Speaking at the French Institute of International Relations in Paris on Thursday, Badr Abdelatty said it was clear that Hamas had to disarm and that Israel should not be given an excuse to carry on with its assault on Gaza.

“Let’s not give any excuse for one party to use Hamas as a pretext for this mad daily killings of civilians. What’s happening is far beyond the seventh of October,” he said, referring to the Palestinian group’s 2023 attack on Israel, in which 1,129 people were killed, according to Israeli tallies.

The Palestinian Health Ministry says Israel’s offensive on Gaza has killed more than 66,000 people, mostly women and children, but experts believe the actual death toll could be up to three times higher.

“It is beyond revenge. This is ethnic cleansing and genocide in motion. So enough is enough,” Abdelatty said.

Earlier this week, the White House unveiled a 20-point document that called for an immediate ceasefire, an exchange of captives held by Hamas for Palestinian political prisoners held by Israel, a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, Hamas disarmament and a transitional government led by an international body.

On Tuesday, Trump gave Hamas three to four days to agree to the plan.

Palestinians long for the war to end, but many believe the plan heavily favours Israel, and a Hamas official told The Associated Press news agency that some elements were unacceptable, without elaborating.

In past negotiations, Hamas has insisted on a full Israeli withdrawal from the famine-struck enclave and said it was seeking a permanent ceasefire, with guarantees that displaced families can return to their homes, particularly in the north of Gaza, where Israeli forces are intensifying attacks.

Many ‘holes that need to be filled’

Qatar and Egypt, two key mediators, said Trump’s plan requires more negotiations on certain elements.

Abdelatty said Cairo was coordinating with Qatar and Turkiye to convince Hamas to respond positively to the plan, but he remained very cautious.

“If Hamas refuse, you know, then it would be very difficult. And of course, we will have more escalation. So that’s why we are exerting our intensive efforts in order to make this plan applicable and to get the approval of Hamas,” he said.

Abdelatty said while he was broadly supportive of Trump’s proposal for Gaza, more talks were needed on it.

“There are a lot of holes that need to be filled; we need more discussions on how to implement it, especially on two important issues – governance and security arrangements,” he said. “We are supportive of the Trump plan and the vision to end war and need to move forward.”

When asked whether he feared the Trump plan could lead to the forced displacement of Palestinians, he said Egypt would not accept that.

“Displacement will not happen, it will not happen because displacement means the end of the Palestinian cause,” he said. “We will not allow this to happen under any circumstances.”

Meanwhile, the White House said Trump expects Hamas to accept his Gaza proposal, stressing that the US president could impose consequences if the group does not do so.

Since Israel’s war on Gaza began, the US has often pushed Israel-backed proposals unlikely to garner Palestinian support and then blamed Hamas as the primary obstacle to ending the conflict.

“It’s a red line that the president of the United States is going to have to draw, and I’m confident that he will,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in an interview with Fox News.

For her part, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, called on Hamas to accept the proposal.

“We urge Hamas to follow the plan, release all remaining hostages and lay down its arms.  The EU calls on those who have influence to bear to pass these messages to Hamas,” a statement read.

Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin said Russia was willing to support the plan, but only if it leads to a two-state solution.

Jean-Noel Barrot, France’s foreign minister, said Hamas “has lost”.

According to the plan, Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to relinquish their weapons will be given amnesty, while those who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to receiving countries.

“Hamas bears a very heavy responsibility for the catastrophe experienced by the Palestinians,” Barrot told the AFP news agency. “It must accept its own surrender.”

Experts say the move echoes past Western attempts to reshape the Middle East without local input.

“With this agreement, it’s clear that what they’re presenting is a formula that they tried to use before in Iraq, and I think they utterly failed,” political analyst Xavier Abu Eid told Al Jazeera.

Abu Eid noted that the involvement of figures such as Tony Blair, who joined the US war in Iraq while serving as British prime minister in 2003, in Trump’s proposal is concerning for many in the region.

“The fact that they’re trying to bring in a group of foreigners led by someone with a very dark history in our region, like Tony Blair, is not something that would make people very enthusiastic,” he said.

Families and friends of Gaza-bound flotilla activists detained by Israeli forces joined a demonstration in the Netherlands demanding their release. Far-right Israeli officials have suggested the activists should be held in high-security prisons.

Dozens of Turkish boats were seen sailing with Palestinian flags off the coast of Hatay in the south of the country, in solidarity with Gaza-bound flotilla activists who were intercepted and detained by Israeli forces.

Protesters in cities around the world have condemned Israel’s interception of the humanitarian flotilla bound for Gaza and the detention of activists in international waters.

The Global Sumud Flotilla says its fleet has sailed into the ‘high-risk zone’, where the Israeli navy is believed to have formed a blockade to try to stop the fleet from reaching Gaza.

Activists on the Global Sumud Flotilla shared a video they said showed Israeli vessels approaching the fleet to intercept it before reaching Gaza. Such interceptions by Israeli forces in international waters are considered illegal.

Israel has intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla, which had been attempting to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, and had garnered global attention as one of the biggest naval aid missions to the Palestinian enclave.

The Global Sumud Flotilla – carrying more than 40 civilian boats and about 500 activists – was boarded by Israeli forces late on Wednesday, with activists on board detained and taken to Israel.

Israel had previously said that it would do whatever it takes to stop the Gaza-bound flotilla, claiming the volunteers were trying to “breach a lawful naval blockade” – a claim that goes against international law.

Israel has blockaded Gaza to varying degrees since Hamas took control of the Strip in 2007. Gaza’s residents have largely been trapped in the territory since then, with the entry of food, goods and aid strictly controlled by Israel.

Here is what to know.

What happened to the flotilla on Wednesday?

Israel intercepted boats from the flotilla carrying humanitarian aid, according to statements by the flotilla organisers.

Organisers reported that naval forces boarded vessels about 70 nautical miles (130km) offshore Gaza, cutting communications and jamming signals as the flotilla approached the blockaded enclave.

SHIPS INTERCEPTED AND CAPTURED:

ALMA, ADARA, SIRIUS.

THE REST ARE STILL SAILING. 40 NAUTICAL MILES OFF THE GAZA COAST.

— Global Sumud Flotilla ✨ (@GSMFlotilla) October 1, 2025

Earlier in the day, activists described shadowy encounters with unlit boats and drones tailing the convoy, heightening tensions on board.

“On Wednesday … at around 8:30 pm (17:30 GMT), multiple vessels of Global Sumud Flotilla – notably Alma, Surius, Adara – were illegally intercepted and boarded by Israeli Occupation Forces in international waters,” a flotilla statement said.

“Prior to illegally boarding the ships, it appears as though the Israeli naval vessels intentionally damaged ship communications, in an attempt to block distress signals and stop the livestream of their illegal boat boarding.”

Despite carrying only a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid, the flotilla had pressed forward with its mission to establish a maritime corridor into Gaza, where nearly two years of Israel’s war have left the population facing an acute humanitarian crisis.

How did Israel respond?

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a video showing a woman in military uniform speaking by phone, introducing herself as a representative of the Israeli navy.

In the call, she warns the flotilla that it is nearing a restricted, blockaded area and explains that any aid for Gaza must be sent “through the established channels”.

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, also said that activists on board the Gaza aid flotilla will be deported once the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur concludes on Thursday.

“According to Israeli media, six boats have been intercepted so far, among them the vessel Alma. Reports suggest more interceptions are expected,” Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim, reporting from Doha, said.

“Israeli soldiers have boarded the ships and detained many of the activists on board. Those detained would normally go through a legal process, but Israel is currently under near-total shutdown because of the Yom Kippur holiday,” she added.

“That means courts and prisons are not functioning, creating a limbo for the activists if they are detained.”

We will not allow any PR stunt approaching an active war zone to violate our sovereignty. Those who tried to enter Israeli territory illegally will be deported immediately after Yom Kippur in Israel. Israel has repeatedly offered ways to peacefully deliver aid to Gaza, but this… pic.twitter.com/JVZldN0kYb

— Danny Danon 🇮🇱 דני דנון (@dannydanon) October 1, 2025

Since 2009, Israel has formally enforced a naval blockade it says is necessary to prevent weapons from being smuggled in. Authorities have also alleged that some flotilla organisers are connected to Hamas, a claim the activists strongly reject as unfounded.

Has this happened before?

Vessels and convoys have attempted to break the blockade of Gaza since 2010.

A few key examples include:

2010 – The Mavi Marmara incident: The most infamous case, when Israeli commandos boarded the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, part of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. Clashes broke out, and 10 activists were killed as a result, drawing global condemnation and straining Israel–Turkiye relations.

Israel apologised for “operational mistakes” in the raid in 2013. A compensation deal is still being negotiated between the two countries. Israeli soldiers and officials who took part in the attack are being tried in absentia in Turkiye for war crimes.

2011–2018 – Smaller flotillas stopped: Several subsequent flotillas, including vessels in 2011, 2015, and 2018. Israel typically diverted the ships to Ashdod port, detained activists, and confiscated cargo. In 2018, activists were arrested, and some reported they were tasered and beaten.

2024 – Flotilla attempts: Activist groups continued organising flotillas, but Israel either prevented them from leaving ports abroad or intercepted them before they could approach Gaza.

2025 – Several flotilla missions set sail to challenge Israel’s naval blockade.

One such mission in June involved the ship Madleen, which departed from Catania, Sicily, with food, medical supplies, baby formula, and other essential goods. It also carried activists, including Greta Thunberg.

In the early hours of June 9, Israeli naval forces intercepted and boarded the Madleen in international waters, using a chemical irritant spray, and then seized the vessel, detaining the 12 people on board. The activists were deported after being processed in Israel.

What else do we know about the current flotilla?

The Global Sumud Flotilla set sail in late August 2025, departing from ports in Spain and Italy before stopping in Greece and Tunisia as it made its way across the Mediterranean.

The mission began with more than 50 vessels representing at least 44 countries, carrying hundreds of international volunteers, activists, and lawmakers. Among them are 24 Americans, including several military veterans, according to the organisers.

On board were symbolic yet significant amounts of humanitarian cargo, including food, medical supplies, and other essentials for Gaza’s population.

Activists reported several hostile encounters at sea, including suspected drone attacks near Malta and Crete, which left some vessels damaged and forced to withdraw. By the time the flotilla neared the eastern Mediterranean, 44 ships remained in the convoy.

International attention grew as the flotilla pressed on. Spain and Italy both deployed naval vessels to monitor its progress and offer assistance if required, while governments across Europe and beyond urged restraint from all parties.

The Israeli military has intercepted several ships from the flotilla of vessels carrying humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip, detaining many of the activists on board.

At least three ships from the Global Sumud Flotilla, made up of 44 vessels and some 500 activists, were intercepted approximately 70 nautical miles (130km) from the coast of Gaza, according to organisers.

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a post on X on Wednesday that “several vessels” of the flotilla were “safely stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port”.

It wrote that Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who had been on board the lead ship Alma, “and her friends are safe and healthy”. The ministry also shared a video showing Thunberg.

So far, at least six ships have been intercepted by the Israeli navy, according to the activist group. The names of the vessels are Deir Yassin/Mali, Huga, Spectre, Adara, Alma and Sirius.

Several ships were targeted by acts of “active aggression”, it said. “Florida vessel has been deliberately rammed at sea. Yulara, Meteque and others have been targeted with water cannons,” it said on Telegram.

All passengers on board were unharmed, it added. Before being intercepted, the vessels had succeeded in sailing beyond the point where the Madleen Flotilla was intercepted by Israeli forces earlier this year.

Before the interceptions began, the activists warned the Israeli military had cut off their connection by disabling their devices, which affected their cameras, their livestreams and communications systems that allowed the ships to relay messages to the world.

The Global Sumud Flotilla’s official channels denounced Israel’s actions in a statement, saying the mission’s vessels were being “illegally intercepted”.

“People of conscience have been abducted,” it said on X. “The flotilla broke no laws. What is illegal is Israel’s genocide, Israel’s illegal blockade of Gaza, and Israel’s use of starvation as a weapon.”

The statement urged supporters to pressure governments to act, writing: “Demand your government cut ties with Israel.”

United States citizen and activist Leila Hegazy, who is on one of the vessels, posted a prerecorded message on social media stating that her sharing the video means she has been “kidnapped by the Israeli occupation forces and brought to Israel against [her] will”.

“I ask you all to pressure the United States government to end its complicity in the genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza and also to ensure the safe return of every humanitarian on this mission,” she said.

Hassan Jabareen, director of the legal centre Adalah, which has represented flotilla activists in the past, told Al Jazeera that “this time, we do not know what Israel will do”.

The activists could be deported within 72 hours, according to the law, or brought to court within 96 hours. He added that some activists could be arrested but noted that Israel usually opts for immediate release.

“If they arrest and detain them, it can lead to a losing situation, because media coverage will continue as long as they are in custody,” Jabareen said.

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said the activists would be deported once the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur concludes on Thursday.

Turkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Israel’s interception of the boats, denouncing it as an “act of terrorism” and a severe breach of international law. In a statement, the ministry said it was taking initiatives to ensure the immediate release of Turkish citizens and other passengers detained by the Israeli forces.

Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the Israeli operation was expected to take two to three hours. He told state TV Rai that the boats would be towed to Israel’s port of Ashdod and the activists would be deported in the coming days. He also said Israeli forces have been told “not to use violence”.

As news of the interceptions circulated on social media, protests broke out across several major world cities, including Athens, Rome, Berlin, Brussels, Tunis and Ankara. Italy’s largest union called a general strike for Friday in protest over the treatment of the Sumud Flotilla.

An Israeli air strike has killed journalist Yahia Barzaq, who was known for his creative portraits of newborn children before the war in Gaza.

Oct. 1 (UPI) — Three men suspected of being Hamas members were arrested on a number of charges by authorities in Germany.

German federal prosecutors said Wednesday that three men arrested in Berlin on suspicion of being members of Iran’s terror syndicate Hamas were accused of gathering weaponry in order to carry out scores of planned attacks on Israeli or Jewish institutions, according to The Washington Post, CBS News and CNN.

“Since at least the summer of 2025,” prosecutors stated, the three have been “involved in procuring firearms and ammunition” for Hamas.

They added two of the men were German citizens and the third identified as Lebanese.

According to officials, the three were identified as 44-year-old Syrian national Ahmad I., Abed Al G., 36, and 43-year-old Lebanon-born Wael F. M.

Prosecutors in Berlin charged them with membership in a foreign terrorist group and organizing an act of anti-state violence after police seized a stockpile of ammunition and weapons, including a slew of pistols and AK-47 assault gun.

On Thursday, they will be in front a judge to determine if the three should be held in detention before a later trial.

The arrests came just days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to a 20-point U.S.-backed plan to end the bloody war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, now with credible U.N.-backed accusations of genocide, after he met Monday with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington.

It followed last month’s United Nations General Assembly vote to back an independent Palestinian-run state that exists without leadership by Hamas militants as a condition.

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani told Al Jazeera the Gaza ceasefire plan unveiled by US President Donald Trump presents “challenges and opportunities” when it comes to ending the war and preventing the displacement of Palestinians.

Oct. 1 (UPI) — President Donald Trump said the Department of Education has reached a potential deal to settle a months-long battle with Harvard University over federal funding.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon “is finishing up the final details” of the plan, Trump said during an unrelated executive order signing Tuesday in the Oval Office.

She has “a good chance of getting that closed,” he said.

The plan would have Harvard University pay $500 million and require the school to open trade schools and teach artificial intelligence.

“They’ll be teaching people how to do AI and lots of other things, engines, lots of things,” Trump said, adding that the school would run a “series of trade schools.”

Harvard did not immediately respond to Politico and CNN‘s requests for a comment on the matter.

Trump and Harvard have been locked in a legal battle after the president attempted to withhold more than $2 billion in funding and block Harvard from admitting international students after taking issue with students’ anti-Israel protests over the war in Gaza. The administration accused Harvard of failing to crack down on anti-Semitism.

Earlier this month, U.S. Judge Allison Burroughs of the District of Massachusetts restored the funding — in the form of grants and contracts — in response to a lawsuit brought by the university and employee groups. The lawsuit accused Trump of leveraging the funding “to gain control of academic decision-making at Harvard.”

Among the programs affected by the block in funding were research in science and medicine, including on radiation exposure, ALS diagnostics and tuberculosis treatment.

On Monday, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights launched a process that could see Harvard ineligible for federal funding on Title VI grounds.