International Response Mounts Following Attack on Gaza-Bound Flotilla
Following an attack on the “Global Sumud Flotilla” – a group of a dozen boats en route to Gaza with humanitarian aid – international condemnation and protective measures are being implemented. The flotilla was attacked off the coast of Crete on the night of September 23, 2025, with two vessels sustaining damage from explosive devices dropped by drones. The attacks are widely considered a deliberate targeting of civilian crews and a violation of international and maritime law, intended to intimidate peace activists.
The incident has prompted a swift response from several European nations. Italy and Spain have jointly dispatched a frigate to the region to provide security and monitor the situation. France has strongly condemned the attack, with Senator Fabien Gay, Director of humanity newspaper, directly appealing to Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu for urgent consular protection for French nationals participating in the flotilla, including journalist Émilien Urbach.
In a letter dated september 24, 2025, Senator Gay highlighted previous instances of crew members being kidnapped and illegally detained during prior flotilla attempts and expressed fears of similar actions.He emphasized the flotilla’s composition of doctors, jurists, and journalists seeking to break the blockade of Gaza, which has been in effect as 2007 and deemed illegal under international law.
The call for protection comes amidst a shifting geopolitical landscape, with france recently recognizing the state of Palestine and denouncing Israeli military operations in Gaza as potential war crimes and crimes against humanity. Senator Gay’s letter aligns this recognition with a request for action, urging the Prime Minister to act in accordance with President Macron’s recent address to the United Nations General Assembly.
Beyond the immediate safety of the flotilla, Senator Gay reiterated a commitment to ending the ongoing conflict, calling for a cessation of violence, the delivery of mass humanitarian aid, the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, the liberation of Palestinian political prisoners, and an end to colonization to facilitate the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel within the 1967 borders.
