The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) said the attack occurred around 4:34 a.m. local time, roughly 120 nautical miles (220 kilometers) from Gaza’s coast.

“We confirm that three vessels — Gaza Sunbird, Alaa Al-Najjar, and Anas Al Sharif — have been attacked and illegally intercepted by the Israeli military,” the International Committee for Breaking the Siege on Gaza said on the social media platform X.

Footage broadcast before the feeds were cut showed heavily armed Israeli commandos storming the Gaza Sunbird, firing at the vessel’s cameras to conceal evidence of the assault.

“Israel has attacked our flotilla,” the coalition posted on Instagram, adding that most livestreams were abruptly disconnected and tracking signals jammed.

“The Israeli military has no legal jurisdiction over international waters. Our flotilla poses no harm,” the coalition said, stressing that the ships were carrying over $110,000 worth of urgently needed medical aid, respiratory equipment, and nutrition supplies for Gaza’s collapsing hospitals.

The Freedom Flotilla, known for its humanitarian missions since 2010, said about 100 international activists and medical professionals were aboard nine vessels as part of the “Thousand Madleens” mission to challenge Israel’s “illegal and inhumane blockade” of Gaza.

The coalition reported that Israeli forces were attempting to divert the ships to Israeli ports, echoing similar incidents in which the occupying military has seized vessels, confiscated aid, and deported participants.

Israeli Channel 13 earlier announced that the military was preparing to target the flotilla, while Channel 12 later claimed Israeli regime forces had detained about 150 activists and taken control of the ships en route to Ashdod port.

The latest aggression follows Israel’s attack last week on over 40 Gaza-bound boats carrying more than 450 activists, all detained after their vessels were seized.

The Zionist regime, which has imposed a suffocating blockade on Gaza for nearly 18 years, tightened its grip in March by sealing crossings and halting food and medicine deliveries — a move that humanitarian agencies warn is driving millions toward starvation.

Since October 2023, Israeli bombardments have killed more than 67,000 Palestinians — mostly women and children — and reduced much of the enclave to rubble.

The Freedom Flotilla’s organizers condemned the assault as a “piracy operation” by an occupying power seeking to suppress international solidarity with Gaza.

Humanitarian and media crews on accompanying ships continue efforts to reach detained colleagues, as global rights groups call for accountability over “state-sponsored terrorism in international waters.”