A personal view of Australian and International Politics

Saturday, 2 May 2026

Deep fractures in the Gulf over Iran have implications for everyone, including Australia.

Extract from ABC News

Analysis

By Laura Tingle

Topic:World Politics

1 hours ago

An older man from the UAE in a white robe and head covering looks slightly concerned. The background is blue. — Anwar Gargash, the powerful diplomatic adviser to the UAE's president, said this week that tensions with Iran had reached a "watershed moment" for Gulf security. (Reuters: Hamad I Mohammed)

Amid the renewed rumblings of a return to direct hostilities between the United States and Iran, and fervent attempts by analysts to make sense of what either countries' leadership is actually doing, you may have heard a sharp cracking sound this week.

That sound emanated from the Persian Gulf, where long-simmering tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates finally broke into the open with the declaration that the UAE would be leaving the oil cartel, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

If oil markets were operating normally, there would have been a lot more market reaction to this decision's direct impact on oil prices.

But in the absence of those conditions, the much broader geo-strategic significance of what the move represented was left for all to ponder.

The United Arab Emirates has announced that it will leave the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. (REUTERS: Dado Ruvic/ File)

UAE at odds with Gulf neighbours

The indications are that the UAE, OPEC's third largest producer, is also in conflict with most of its Gulf neighbours, and specifically with Saudi Arabia — which regards itself as the leader of the region — on strategy over Iran, as well more everyday issues such as economic development.

If anyone was in any doubt, Anwar Gargash, the powerful diplomatic adviser to the UAE's president, said this week that tensions with Iran had reached a "watershed moment" for Gulf security and urged a fundamental reassessment of longstanding policies towards Tehran.

"A defining station in the modern history of the Gulf" had been reached, he said. "This is not a passing crisis."

Gargash also delivered a blunt assessment of Gulf policy towards Tehran, saying efforts to contain tensions through diplomacy, trade and regional engagement had "failed miserably".

"For years, each Gulf state pursued its own model of containment," he said, citing mediation initiatives, shared energy projects and economic ties. "None delivered lasting security."

The Gargash interventions were a significant escalation in the UAE's rhetoric from that seen earlier in the conflict, when it kept emphasising the injustice of being under attack by Iran when Gulf states had urged both Israel and the US to not attack Iran.

A woman speaking into a microphone and looking on. — UAE Minister for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy dismissed any suggestion that the UAE might also harbour anger against the US and Israel for starting the conflict. (Reuters: Ciro De Luca)

For example, in mid-March, UAE Minister for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy said: "It's been pretty unprecedented, what's happened, and almost unhinged, I would say, to have Iran lash out at the very people who've been calling for de-escalation, who've been calling for this war to never actually even start, which has really taken us by surprise."

Al Hashimy dismissed any suggestion that the UAE might also harbour anger against the US and Israel for starting the conflict.

"Independent of how this began, the retaliatory measures that Iran has taken to attack the Gulf states are really where the issue we have is," she told the ABC.

"I have to highlight here that Iran isn't simply attacking military bases that have not launched a single missile from them, because we've made it clear that our territory would not be used to launch an attack against Iran.

"They are actually targeting civilian infrastructure as well, whether it's an airport or it's oil tankers."

Asked if the attacks would make the UAE reconsider hosting US bases, Al Hashimy said: "Quite the contrary. Our relationship with the US is a long-standing strategic partnership.

"It's a partnership that doesn't falter in moments of crisis, but has been built on decades of trust and mutual respect.

"We've been long-standing partners of the US, long-standing partners of Australia as well. And this doesn't deter us, because we're also a resilient bunch, and we don't take to being bullied around, either."

But the diplomatic repercussions of this criticism have now crystallised in the Gargash remarks.

'I expected such a weak position'

The failure of the approaches of Gulf states to Iran, Gargash said this week, required a comprehensive review of Gulf strategy, including defence coordination, diplomatic engagement and relations with major partners such as the United States.

"It is true that, logistically, the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] countries supported each other, but politically and militarily, I think their position was the ⁠weakest in history," Reuters reported Gargash telling a conference in the UAE on Monday.

He did not spare the two other major umbrella bodies that have in the past presented a mostly unified Gulf front to the rest of the world: the GCC and the Arab League.

"I expected such a weak position from the Arab League, and I am not surprised by it, but I have not expected it from the GCC, and I am surprised by it."

For its part, the Emirates would "scrutinise" its regional and international relations ⁠to "determine who can be relied upon", pairing that review with measures to strengthen the UAE's economic and financial position.

"Strategic autonomy remains the UAE's enduring choice," Gargash has said.

The UAE has decided to much more conspicuously side with the US — and perhaps more significantly — Israel, than any regional power has in the past.

This is despite the fact that the decision by the US and Israel to go to war against Iran resulted in the UAE facing the biggest onslaught of Iranian missiles and drones of any country in the region, including Israel.

It represents a major win for Israel's ambitions to be the new hegemonic power in the region, and an even more clouded picture of how the conflict between Iran, Israel and the US may be resolved.

And it shows the first profound cleavage in which a Gulf country has left open the possibility of taking Israel's side in a war — something the Gulf states have all been very reluctant to do, no matter how much of a threat they may have felt from Iran.

US President Trump on length of war

The significance for Australia

The UAE's position has direct relevance to Australia. Gargash is just the latest senior UAE official to talk of how the current crisis was showing just who the tiny — but massively rich — state could rely on.

And we make the cut, not just because we provided a Wedgetail reconnaissance plane for "purely defensive purposes", but also because we have one of our largest international air bases in the Emirates.

Emirati political analyst Abdulkhaleq Abdulla tweeted through the week that the "40-day Iranian missile and drone assault was a defining moment for the UAE. It made one thing clear: who stood with us when it mattered".

"The shortlist: the USA, France, Britain, South Korea, Australia, Ukraine, Italy. Grateful to you all."

What standing with the UAE means is only now becoming clear.

The Financial Times has just reported that Israel deployed a compact drone-detection system called "Spectro" to the UAE during Iran's missile and drone attacks, as well as Iron Dome batteries and the Iron Beam laser defence system.

These systems reportedly came with a significant number of Israeli "boots on the ground".

The Wall Street Journal reported that this was also the first time the Iron Dome air defence system had been sent to another country, and that flight-tracking websites show military transports have shuttled between the Israeli air base of Nevatim and the UAE throughout the conflict since February 28.

The fact this is all coming to light right now does leave open the question of how Iran approaches the UAE from now on.

The Iranian state-owned Fars News Agency this week published three so-called "rules of the game", which warned Donald Trump of a possible ground invasion of Dubai and the UAE if American forces attempted a land assault on Iranian territory.

The UAE move also raises questions for the other Gulf states, which have tried to maintain an uncomfortable balancing act between not provoking Iran, cooperating with the US and Israel, and negotiating the fraught world of political Islam and Arab unity.

The shadow tussle between the UAE and Saudi has been going on for some time, with the two Gulf nations backing conflicting sides in the conflict in Yemen.

The talk in Washington and Iran for this week has been of stalemate. But as the week draws to a close the escalation has been starting again with reports of air sirens in Tehran, Trump being advised on military options in Washington, and even a report on Israeli television that Israel is preparing to announce the failure of Iran negotiations, with the US giving Israel immediate authorisation to strike Iran's energy facilities after the announcement.

Trump's earlier signalling that he will neither walk away from the war declaring a victory or escalating it, but will try to starve out the Iranians, all suggests there is no clear sign of how this war could end.

And the possibility of the UAE not just becoming an even bigger target for Iran, but possibly a direct combatant, if provoked, seems to only escalate the risks.

Laura Tingle is the ABC's Global Affairs Editor.

Road safety advocates want better import standards for large utes.

Extract from ABC News

By Grace Whiteside

8 minutes ago

A big black ute parked with two wheels on the kerb — There has been a 270 per cent increase in big ute sales since 2019. (ABC Wide Bay: Grace Whiteside)

In short:

The National Transport Research Organisation is calling on the federal government to tighten safety standards for imported large utes.

ANCAP Safety data shows there has been a 270 per cent increase in large ute sales since 2019.

What's next?

The federal government says it continually reviews road vehicle standards to ensure the market is "safe, secure and sustainable".

A national vehicle safety body is lobbying the federal government to raise safety standards for large, imported US-style pick-up trucks.

Since 2019, there has been a 270 per cent increase in sales of large utes in Australia, like RAMs and Chevrolets, according to figures from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program, commonly known as ANCAP Safety.

While there is no specific Australian crash data relating to big utes, ANCAP Safety said data from the United States showed fatal pedestrian crashes involving pick-ups were four times more likely to occur during a turn than those involving cars.

US data also showed vehicles with bonnet heights above 1 metre were about 45 per cent more likely to cause pedestrian deaths.

A dummy model of a child walking in front of a passenger car and a large ute — ANCAP says data from the US shows vehicles with bonnet heights above 1 metre are about 45 per cent more likely to cause pedestrian deaths. (Supplied: ANCAP Safety)

National Transport Research Organisation (NTRO) chief executive Michael Caltabiano said the growing popularity of the vehicles in Australia warranted a review of safety standards.

A man sits in a suit and tie looking toward the camera. — Michael Caltabiano is calling for importation standards for US-style utes to be lifted. (ABC News: Callum Finn)

"They're so high off the ground," he said.

"The bonnet sits so high that a child of 10 years old or younger cannot be seen.

"They're three to four-tonne vehicles, [which are] still regarded as passenger vehicles, C-class licence only required."

ANCAP is an independent body that crash-tests vehicles and conducts safety-technology assessments for consumers.

While vehicles entering Australia must comply with Road Vehicle Standards (RVS) legislation, they do not need to have an ANCAP Safety rating.

Two vehicles parked alongside each other, one a passenger car, the other a large ute — ANCAP tests crash avoidance technology, as well as other vehicle safety features. (Supplied: ANCAP Safety)

The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 received an ANCAP rating of Bronze last year, with a score of 27 per cent for collision avoidance.

Mr Caltabiano is calling for the government to raise importation safety standards, and to do so quickly.

"There are safety requirements, and the federal government currently is working on an international working group to standardise what that looks like," he said.

"[But] we've got to get to a point much, much quicker where we're only importing vehicles with the latest safety technology to keep Australians safe."

A big silver ute parked in a car park — The federal government says it ensures the market is "safe, secure and sustainable". (ABC Wide Bay: Grace Whiteside)

A spokesperson from the Department of Infrastructure said all road vehicles met safety, anti-theft and environmental emissions standards through the RVS.

"We continually review, consult on and update Australia's legislated road-vehicle standards to ensure road vehicles in the Australian market are safe, secure and sustainable," they said.

'Punching through' crash barriers

Mr Caltabiano also said safety infrastructure along Australian roads was not adequate for US-style utes.

"The big utes will actually punch through our existing W-Beam barriers and will overrun the existing wire-rope barriers," he said.

"They're bigger, they're faster, they're heavier, and they're punching through road crash barriers."

He said heavier vehicles also contributed to faster declines in road conditions.

"If there is already a pre-existing pothole or cracked environment where water can get in, they will accelerate the deterioration much, much quicker than just an ordinary passenger car because of the weight and the tyre size," Mr Caltabiano said.

Commercial category gaps

The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) said more than 1.2 million new vehicles were sold in 2025.

ANCAP said more than 19,000 of those were large utes such as the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, the RAM 1500 and the Toyota Tundra.

A woman with long brown hair smiling — Carla Hoorweg is eager to see the safety technology developed for passenger cars used in large utes. (Supplied: ANCAP Safety)

ANCAP chief executive Carla Hoorweg said some large utes fell into an importation category where fewer regulations applied.

"That's because they're not really a passenger car. They're a commercial vehicle, in terms of the way things get categorised by the government," she said.

"Where regulation comes in … it sort of kicks up the bottom performers and sets a minimum threshold for them to perform to."

But she said it was pleasing to see many large ute manufacturers were already aiming for higher safety standards.

Two cars on a roadway, one a passenger car, the other a large ute — ANCAP says US-style pick-up trucks can fall into an importation category with fewer regulations. (Supplied: ANCAP Safety)

FCAI director Peter Griffin said manufacturers needed a "vehicle type approval" to import into Australia.

"That new vehicle must meet all the relevant safety standards, environmental standards, [and] performance standards that are mandated by the government," he said.

A man in a police uniform standing in front of some flags in a foyer. — Grant Marcus says it is too early to know how much large utes affect road safety in Australia. (ABC Wide Bay: Nikki Sorbello)

Bundaberg police Chief Inspector Grant Marcus said while large utes were on his radar, it was too early to know if they were having a significant impact on road safety.

"Larger vehicles … when they collide with something, they're going to create more damage," he said.

"If they collide with a pedestrian or a cyclist or something like that, it could be quite catastrophic."

But Chief Inspector Marcus said the main cause of traffic incidents remained driver behaviour.

"Well over 90 to 95 per cent of our crashes are as a result of poor driving behaviour or driving negligence by people … not the size of the vehicle," he said.

Putin condemns Ukrainian drone strikes against oil refineries deep inside Russian territory.

Extract from ABC News

Topic:War

17 hours ago

A huge plume of black smoke rises from a city street. A fire engine is seen down the road. — Ukrainian drone strikes hit oil infrastructure across Russia this week, sparking huge fires. (Reuters: Governor of Krasnodar Region Veniamin Kondratyev)

In short:

Ukrainian drone strikes have hit three Russian oil refineries over the past week, sparking huge fires and sending plumes of black smoke into the air.

The strikes on refineries in the Perm and Orenburg regions demonstrate the ability of Ukraine to target energy infrastructure far behind enemy lines.

What's next?

A local state of emergency has been declared in the coastal city of Tuapse as residents describe witnessing the river combusting from the refinery fire's runoff.

Ukraine's Security Service, the SBU, say its drones have struck an oil refinery deep inside Russia near the city of Perm, marking the latest in a series of attacks on oil facilities behind the front lines as Kyiv seeks to curb Moscow's energy revenues used to fund the war.

The Ukrainian military also reported it had hit another refinery in southern Russia's Orenburg region.

The Lukoil-owned refinery in Perm, located more than 1,500 kilometres from Ukraine, is one of the largest in Russia and has the capacity of nearly 13 million metric tonnes per year, according to the SBU.

A satellite image of an oil refinery with a huge plume of black smoke rising to the sky. — A satellite image shows smoke rising following a Ukrainian drone attack on an oil pumping station amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Bashkultaevo, Perm Region. (Reuters: Planet Labs BBC)

Lukoil did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to preliminary information from the SBU, the strike hit a key facility for primary oil processing at the refinery, effectively putting the unit out of action.

Thick smoke rises from an oil facility in Russia after Ukraine strikes.

It also struck an oil pumping station in the area, which supplied the refinery.

The strike in Orenburg, reported by the Ukraine military's general staff, hit a refinery in the city of Orsk, triggering a fire.

Orenburg region is also about 1,500km from Ukraine.

"The Orsknefteorgsintez oil refinery [Orsk in Orenburg region] was hit," the general staff said in a statement on Facebook.

"A strike was recorded, followed by a fire on the territory of the enterprise. The facility is involved in supplying the Russian occupation army."

Closer to the front lines and on the shores of the Black Sea, the oil refinery in Tuapse has come under repeated attacks in recent weeks, with the latest drone strike sparking a massive fire.

A satellite image of a fire at an oil refinery in Tuapse, Russia. — Tuapse is a key transport and export hub on the coast of the Black Sea near the resource rich Caucus region. (Reuters: Planet Labs BBC)

Plumes of black smoke towered over the coastal town and residents wore face masks to shield themselves from polluted air.

Ukrainian drones have hit Tuapse's sprawling oil facilities three times over the past two weeks, most recently early this week, triggering a local state of emergency.

Just hours later, another drone strike hit the sea terminal, sparking another fire, according to the local government.

"The water in the river was on fire," Vladimir, a 63-year-old pensioner

said.

As the wind gusted, toxic fumes and the smell of burnt oil spread through the city, and the roads and pavements were covered with a sticky film.

Four men walk together as a huge plume of black smoke rises from trees in the background. — Krasnodar regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev (second from right) inspects the aftermath of the drone attack on the oil refinery and terminal in Tuapse. (AP: Governor of Krasnodar Region Veniamin Kondratyev)

Residents were told to stay indoors, and schools closed in the town of some 60,000 people.

Officials said on Wednesday that the level of benzene, a toxic carcinogen found in petrol, in the air was elevated.

"Look, look at that," Yevgenia, a pensioner with a shopping bag and wearing a face mask, said, pointing at a layer of black dust and soot on a car nearby.

"It's impossible to clean it all up quickly. They bombed us three times in a month,"

she said.

Vladimir and Yevgenia did not provide their full names for security reasons.

Contaminated soil

The burning oil terminal is located right next to the city centre, close to pedestrian areas and the road to the resort city of Sochi, a favoured summer escape for the Russian elite, including President Vladimir Putin.

Intense flames burst from behind a low concrete wall. The orange morphs into thick, black smoke. — Residents in Tuapse described environmental devastation from the fires, including elevated toxins in the air. (Reuters: Governor of Krasnodar Region Veniamin Kondratyev)

President Putin lashed out at Kyiv, accusing the Ukrainian authorities of resorting to "overt terrorist methods" and intensifying drone strikes "against civilian infrastructure".

"The latest example is the strikes on energy facilities in Tuapse, which could potentially cause serious environmental consequences,"

President Putin said.

Kyiv said it only targeted energy and military sites designed to hobble Russia's war machine.

Local officials said three people had been killed, including a 14-year-old girl, in the series of Ukrainian attacks on Tuapse this month.

Around 600 people were working "around the clock" to mitigate the consequences of the strikes, including an environmental clean-up operation, a regional crisis task force said on Telegram.

Three soldiers walk past a destroyed petrol station, looking at an impact crater from Russian attacks. — Ukrainian energy infrastructure has repeatedly been targeted by Russian drone strikes during the war. (Reuters: Serhii Korovainyi)

It said: "Nearly 10,000 cubic metres of oil-contaminated soil and water-oil mixture have been collected from the shore and in the Tuapse River."

For Tuapse residents, the strikes brought the consequences of Russia's four-year offensive on Ukraine home.

A soldier holding a machine gun stands atop a turret in Ukraine. — Machine gun turrets have been deployed by private companies like Carmine Sky to shoot down Russian drones. (Reuters: Sofiia Gatilova)

"I've already lived through one war," one resident said, referring to Russia's wars in Chechnya, a few hundred kilometres across the Caucasus mountains, following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

"Now here's another one."

Ukraine has intensified its attacks in Russia, aiming to disrupt Russia's oil industry and slash revenue that helps Moscow fund the war in Ukraine, as global prices rose amid the Iran war and sanctions were eased on Moscow.

Russia has for months attacked targets linked to Ukraine's energy system, knocking out power and heating to many thousands of people in cities during the winter months.

Reuters/AFP

Gaza aid flotilla activists taken to Crete after Israeli interception.

Extract from ABC News

Topic:Activism

6 hours ago

A boat approaches a port where a group of people stand waiting. — Crew members of the Global Sumud Flotilla have been taken to Greece after being intercepted by Israel. (Reuters: Stefanos Rapanis)

In short:

More than 100 activists on aid ships bound for Gaza have been taken to Greece after Israeli forces intercepted the flotilla on Wednesday.

Six Australians were among detained crew members of the Global Sumud Flotilla.

What's next?

Consular officials are in Crete to provide assistance and are working to "confirm the detention of any Australians".

More than 100 activists on ships bound for Gaza that were intercepted by Israeli forces earlier this week have been taken to Crete.

Six Australians were aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla vessels that were intercepted in international waters off the Greek island late on Wednesday, local time.

Consular officials are in Crete to "provide assistance to any Australians transferred there", a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) spokesperson confirmed on Friday.

"We are also continuing to liaise with local authorities in Israel and Greece including to confirm the detention of any Australians,"

they said.

It comes after the Israeli defence minister, Gideon Sa'ar, said early Friday morning the detained crew members would be "disembarked on a Greek beach in the coming hours".

"All participants in the provocative flotilla who were taken off the vessels were taken off unharmed," he said on X.

"In coordination with the Greek government, the individuals transferred from the flotilla vessels to the Israeli vessel will be disembarked on a Greek beach in the coming hours."

The flotilla was off the coast of Greece, near Crete, when some of its boats were intercepted earlier this week.

More than 50 boats had set sail in recent weeks from Marseille in France, Barcelona in Spain and Syracuse in Italy, in a bid to break Israel's naval blockade and deliver aid to Gaza.

Israel's foreign ministry earlier said around 175 activists had been taken off more than 20 boats. Flotilla organisers put the number at 211.

Jane Salmon, the flotilla's Australian delegation media liaison, said 14 Australians had departed from Italy and that six were aboard intercepted vessels — Surya McEwen, Dr Bianca Pullman Webb, Ethan Floyd, Neve O'Connor, Zack Schofield and Cameron Tribe.

The organisation described the interception as a "violent raid" and said its boats were "approached by military speedboats, self-identified as 'Israel', pointing lasers and semi-automatic weapons".

DFAT has urged Australians not to join efforts to break the Israeli naval blockade "as they are putting themselves and others at risk of injury, death, arrest or deportation".

A small boat approaches a large vessel in the ocean. — Greek Coast Guard vessels took the crew members from an Israeli vessel. (Reuters: Stefanos Rapanis)

Two flotilla organisers taken to Israel

Flotilla organisers said an Israeli army ship transferred 168 members of the flotilla crew to Greek boats, which then took them to Crete's Atherinolakkos port on Friday where buses and an ambulance waited for them.

Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said all the flotilla activists were now in Greece "except Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Ávila" — two members of the flotilla's steering committee.

"Saif Abu Keshek, suspected of affiliation with a terrorist organisation and Thiago Ávila suspected of illegal activity, will be brought to Israel for questioning," the foreign ministry said on X.

"This Hamas-led-flotilla is another provocation designed to divert attention from Hamas's refusal to disarm — and to serve the PR interests of professional provocateurs."

A source who asked not to be identified told Reuters that while 22 boats had been intercepted by Israel, 47 others were still sailing off southern Crete.

They said the flotilla planned to anchor there at some point before continuing onwards to Gaza. Each ship is carrying about a ton of food, medical and other equipment, the source said.

The Global Sumud Flotilla says the IDF launched a "violent" interception against some its boats.

Israel controls all entry points to Gaza. It has been accused by the United Nations and foreign NGOs of strangling the flow of goods into the territory, causing shortages since the start of Israel's war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in October 2023.

The Gaza Strip, governed by Hamas, has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007.

Several European governments with nationals among those arrested have called on Israel to free the activists and called its action a flagrant contravention of international law.

But the United States backed Israeli authorities, calling the flotilla a "stunt" and saying it expects allies to deny port access, docking, departure and refuelling to vessels participating in the flotilla.

In the summer and autumn of 2025, a first voyage by the Global Sumud Flotilla across the Mediterranean towards Gaza drew worldwide attention.

The boats in that flotilla were intercepted by Israel off the coasts of Egypt and the Gaza Strip in early October.

Crew members, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, were arrested and then expelled by Israel.

ABC/wires

Friday, 1 May 2026

Global Sumud Flotilla carrying Australians intercepted on its way to Gaza by IDF.

Extract from ABC News

Topic:Unrest, Conflict and War

15 hours ago.

In short:

The Global Sumud Flotilla has been intercepted by the Israeli Defense Forces off the coast of Crete.

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations described the flotilla, which was headed to Gaza, as "provocative".

What's next?

Israel's foreign minister says the detained crew members will be taken to Greece, not Israel.

The Global Sumud Flotilla has been intercepted on its way to Gaza by the Israeli Defense Forces.

"In a violent raid in international waters, Israeli naval forces have intercepted, boarded, and systematically disabled various boats of the Global Sumud Flotilla," a social media post by the organisation said.

Earlier on Thursday morning, the organisation reported on Telegram the boats were "approached by military speedboats, self-identified as 'israel', pointing lasers and semi-automatic weapons".

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, also confirmed the interception.

"Another provocative flotilla was stopped before reaching our area," Mr Danon wrote on X.

The flotilla is off the coast of Greece, near Crete, according to live tracking on the organisation's website.

Israeli's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar later tweeted that the crew members were being taken to Greece "in coordination with the Greek government".

"We call on anyone who is not interested in provocations but rather in humanitarian aid to Gaza to do so through the [Board of Peace], which also issued a statement on the matter today," he wrote.

The flotilla made up of more than 50 boats set sail in recent weeks from Marseille in France, Barcelona in Spain and Syracuse in Italy.

Jane Salmon, the flotilla's Australian delegation media liaison, said 14 Australians had set sail from Italy and that six were aboard intercepted vessels.

She said 21 boats had been intercepted.

"Surya McEwen, Dr Bianca Pullman Webb, Ethan Floyd, Neve O'Connor and Zack Schofield were on boats that were intercepted," Ms Salmon told ABC News.

Cameron Tribe was also on one of the boats that was intercepted, she said.

The ABC asked the IDF for details of the operation, but it did not provide a specific response.

"The IDF enforces the marine security blockade on the Gaza Strip and is prepared for a range of scenarios, which it will carry out in accordance with the directions of the political echelon," a spokesperson said.

The IDF directed all requests for further information to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

DFAT says aid 'limited' due to Iran war

Greens leader Larissa Waters called the incident "yet another shocking breach of international law by Israel".

"Foreign Minister Penny Wong must back the brave flotilla crew and fight for their release," she said on social media.

A spokesperson for Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Australian diplomats were ready to provide consular assistance to the Australians detained, but noted the "ability to provide support in Israel and Palestine is limited at this time due to the conflict in the Middle East".

Australia, like many other nations, evacuated some non-essential staff from its missions in places such as Israel amid the US and Israel's war with Iran.

"We continue to urge Australians not to join others seeking to break the Israeli naval blockade, as they are putting themselves and others at risk of injury, death, arrest or deportation," the spokesperson said.

"We encourage those wishing to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza to do so through established channels.

"Australia has been part of the international call on Israel to comply with the binding orders of the International Court of Justice, including to enable the provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance at scale.

"With a ceasefire in Gaza in place, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian aid must flow to those in desperate need."

After previous flotilla missions were intercepted, Australian consular staff were dispatched to Israel's Ketziot prison, near the Egypt border, where crew members were taken.

They documented allegations of serious mistreatment by Israeli authorities while there.

The Australian government is seeking an update from Israeli authorities on the status of the Australians involved in the latest intercept.

Israel's foreign ministry has tried to discredit the flotilla by questioning its intentions.

On social media, it has released video it says shows drugs and condoms on board one of the ships.

The ABC has not been able to independently verify the footage.

Israeli Army Radio reported this was the furthest interception from Israeli shores the navy had carried out in its operations to stop aid flotillas.

It is the third time the navy has intervened.

"This time we decided to surprise them at a great distance, due to the size of the flotilla," an Israeli source told the outlet.

Israel has imposed a maritime blockade on Gaza since 2009.

One UN inquiry found it was unlawful, while another found it was lawful.

In October last year, the organisation's flotilla, which included Greta Thunberg, was intercepted by the Israeli military near the besieged Palestinian territory.

The fleet consisted of 50 small vessels carrying about 500 activists from dozens of countries.

They were attempting to deliver a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid, mainly food and medicine.

The crew members were arrested and expelled by Israel.

Israel has previously said the maritime blockade is needed to prevent Hamas from importing arms.

ABC/wires