Extract from ABC News
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".
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
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