| Blockade of the Gaza Strip |
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The 2010Gaza Freedom Flotilla was a smallfleet of ships by theFree Gaza Movement and the TurkishFoundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (İHH). The Flotilla mission to Gaza had the explicit goal of carrying humanitarian aid and construction materials with the intention of breaking the Israeliblockade of the Gaza Strip.[1][2][3] In typical circumstances, aid is first brought to Israel to be inspected and then transferred to Gaza.[4]
On 31 May 2010, Israeli forcesboarded the ships in a raid from speedboats and helicopters. Following resistance on one of the boats, nine activists were killed by Israeli forces. Widespreadinternational condemnation of and reaction to the raid followed,Israel–Turkey relations were strained, and Israel subsequently eased its blockade on the Gaza Strip.
The flotilla was theFree Gaza Movement's ninth attempt to break thenaval blockade imposed by Israel on theGaza Strip.[5] Israel proposed inspecting thecargo at thePort of Ashdod and then deliveringnon-blockaded goods through land crossings, but this proposal was turned down.[6] Israeli forces thenraided and seized theGaza-bound ships ininternational waters of theMediterranean Sea.[7]
Five shipments had been allowed through prior to the2008–09 Gaza War, but all shipments following the war were blocked by Israel.[8] This flotilla was the largest to date. An Islamic aid group from Turkey, theİHH (İnsani Yardım Vakfı) (Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief) sponsored a large passenger ship and two cargo ships.
While the UN's official report found Israel's blockade of Gaza to be legal,[9][10] another set of UN experts, reporting to theHuman Rights Council, came to the opposite conclusion finding that it violated international law.[11]
The ships of the Gaza flotilla raid comprised three passenger ships and three cargo ships:
Two other Free Gaza Movement ships,Challenger 2 (USA flagged) and MVRachel Corrie (Cambodia flagged) were behind the rest of the flotilla due to mechanical problems. There have been claims this was due to Israeli sabotage.[13]Challenger 2 aborted,[citation needed] but theRachel Corrie continued its journey.[14]
| Flag | Name | Organisation | Port | Passengers | Crew | Cargo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 USA | Challenger 1 | Free Gaza Movement | Heraklion | |||
| USA | Challenger 2 | Free Gaza Movement | Heraklion | |||
 Greece | MSEleftheri Mesogeios | Greek Ship to Gaza | Piraeus | Wheelchairs, building materials, medicine[15] | ||
| Greece | Sfendoni | Greek Ship to Gaza, European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza | Piraeus | |||
 Comoros | MVMavi Marmara | IHH | Antalya | 581 | ||
 Turkey | Gazze | IHH | Antalya | 5 | 13 | 2,104 tons of cement, 600 tons of construction steel, and 50 tons of tiles[16] |
 Kiribati | MV Defne Y | IHH | Antalya | 27 | 23 | 150 tons of iron, 98 power units, 50 precast homes, 16 units of children's playground equipment, food, shoes, medicine, wheelchairs, clothing items, notebooks and textbooks[16][17] |
 Cambodia | MVRachel Corrie | Free Gaza Movement | Dundalk | 11 | 8 | 550 tons of cement, 20 tons of paper, 100 tons of high-end medical equipment, wheelchairs, books, fabric, and thread |
Three of the flotilla ships carried only passengers and their personal belongings, while three other ships carried 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid, with an estimated value of $20 million. The cargo included food, wheelchairs, books, toys, electricity generators, operating theater equipment, medicines,[18][19] medical equipment, textiles, footwear, cash,mobility scooters,sofas, and building materials, such as cement,[20] which areprohibited under the Israeli blockade, although Israel offered to allow the cement to enter Gaza, if the flotilla were to dock in Ashdod.[citation needed]
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Israeli news reported the flotilla to be carryingballistic vests,gas masks,night-vision goggles,clubs, andslingshots,[21] although theUNHRC report does not mention these items[22] and in the Turkish Report on the Israeli attack on the Humanitarian Aid Convoy to Gaza it states that all passengers and crew as well as the cargo were searched to international standards and no weapons were found, on the ships departing from Turkey.[23]
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Two-thirds of the medicines delivered by the flotilla expired between six and fifteen months prior to the raid,[24] and were found to be useless.[25] Operating theater equipment, which was supposed to be kept sterile, was carelessly wrapped. The expiring medications and sensitive equipment were kept in frozen storage in the Israeli Defense Ministry before delivery to Gaza.[26]
In previous voyages, Free Gaza vessels carried 140 passengers in total. In this flotilla, over 600 activists were on board theMavi Marmara alone.[27] There were 663 passengers from 37 nations on board the flotilla.[7] Notable people aboard the flotilla included former UN Assistant Secretary-General Denis Halliday, formerU.S. Ambassador to MauritaniaEdward Peck, andUSS Liberty survivor Joe Meadors.[28] Israeli-Arab member ofKnessetHaneen Zoubi, leader of the northern branch of theIslamic Movement in IsraelRaed Salah, Swedish novelistHenning Mankell, convicted hijackerErdinç Tekir, who participated in theBlack Sea hijacking,[29] and a number of parliamentarians from European and Arab national legislatures and theEuropean Parliament.[30][31]
In June 2010 U.S. Assistant Secretary of State P. J. Crowley told reporters Wednesday: "'We know that IHH representatives have met with senior Hamas officials in Turkey, Syria and Gaza over the past three years,'" and "'That is obviously of great concern to us.'"[32]
IHH has been investigated for its ties theMuslim Brotherhood,Hamas, andAl-Qaeda since at least 2008. Germany even banned İHH’s German wing on July 12, 2010, stating that the group had direct links to Hamas, and provided it with material support.[33]
The AP was quoted on MSNBC: "The Turkish Islamic charity behind a flotilla of aid ships that was raided by Israeli forces on its way to Gaza had ties to terrorism networks, including a 1999 Al-Qaedaplot to bomb Los Angeles International Airport, France's former top anti-terrorism judge said Wednesday."[34]
In June 2012, it was reported that the IHH directorFehmi Bülent Yıldırım was reportedly being investigated by Turkish authorities for allegedly creating a financial partnership with Al-Qaeda.[35]
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According to an early IDF press release, the ship carried 75mercenaries with links toal-Qaeda and otherterror organizations, who carried $10,000 apiece on their persons.[36] The claim was never substantiated and was later withdrawn.[37] Israel has said that the group boarded separately in a different city and went on deck under different procedures. The Turkish Customs officials and the İHH denied the allegations.[38][39]
The impending arrival of the fleet was known to Israel government, military intelligence and press.[40][41] Israel said that the flotilla was violating international law, but one of the flotilla's organizers,Greta Berlin, stated that "[w]e have the right to sail from international waters into the waters of Gaza".[42] Israel informed the fleet that it would be redirected to the port ofAshdod[43] and the cargo would be transferred to Gaza after undergoing a security inspection.[44] Foreigners would be deported or, if they did not willingly agree to be deported, detained.[45]
The flotilla organisers rejected Israel's demand, as it did not believe that Israel would transfer the cargo to Gaza,[46] and said: "This mission is not about delivering humanitarian supplies, it's about breaking Israel's siege on 1.5 million Palestinians [...][42][47] We want to raise international awareness about the prison-like closure of Gaza and pressure the international community to review its sanctions policy and end its support for continued Israeli occupation."[46]
TheUNHRC fact-finding mission noted a "certain tension between the political objectives of the flotilla and its humanitarian objectives", which came to light "the moment the Government of Israel made offers to allow the humanitarian aid to be delivered via Israeli ports but under the supervision of a neutral organization". It also announced that Gaza did not have a deep sea port capable of receiving the sort of cargo ships participating in the flotilla. It concluded that "whilst the mission is satisfied that the flotilla constituted a serious attempt to bring essential humanitarian supplies into Gaza, it seems clear that the primary objective was political, as indeed demonstrated by the decision of those on board theRachel Corrie to reject a Government ofIreland-sponsored proposal that the cargo in that ship be allowed throughAshdod intact".[48]
Some supporters of the flotilla said that "a violent response from Israel will breathe new life into the Palestine solidarity movement, drawing attention to the blockade."[49] Two of the activists (Ali Haydar Bengi and Ibrahim Bilgen) who died during the MVMavi Marmara clash had previously said that they wished for martyrdom.[50] On 29 May, Aljazeera broadcast footage ofMavi Marmara activists participating in a chant calling for battle against Jews.[50][51]
Former U.S. MarineKenneth O'Keefe, who was aboard the Mavi Marmara, stated that the activists knew from the outset that there would be nopassive resistance. "I knew that if the Israelis boarded that ship, it would be a disaster [...] You have to be an idiot to board that ship and think it will be a ship of passive resistance", he toldHaaretz newspaper.[52]
Six of the eight ships set out on 30 May 2010 from international waters off the coast ofCyprus;[45] the remaining two were delayed by mechanical problems.[53] "We do not even have a jackknife here, but we will not let Israeli soldiers on board this ship", İHH leaderFehmi Bülent Yıldırım told reporters via a live video stream before the convoy set sail.[27]
The government of Cyprus refused to cooperate with the Free Gaza Movement or allow activists to sail from its harbors. TheCyprus Police stated that "anything related to the trip to Gaza is not permitted", and as a result remaining MPs and activists embarked instead fromFamagusta inNorthern Cyprus.[54][55] Cypriot and Greek MPs and activists refused to embark via ports inNorthern Cyprus.[56] Having been delayed by two days, the flotilla aimed to reach Gaza on the afternoon of 31 May.[45]
There are claims that the IDF or theMossad may have sabotaged three of the ships before the raid.[57] According to theNational Post, Israeli deputy defense ministerMatan Vilnai hinted that Israel had exhausted covert means of stalling the vessels. He said: "Everything was considered. I don't want to elaborate beyond that, because the fact is there were not up to 10, or however many ships were [originally] planned."[58] A senior IDF officer hinted to theKnesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that some of the vessels had been tampered with to halt them far from the Gaza or Israeli coast.[59][60] According to UPI press coverage, the officer alluded to "grey operations" against the flotilla and said that no such action had been taken against the Mavi Marmara out of fear that the vessel might be stranded in the middle of the sea, endangering the people on board.[57][60] Israel was accused of sabotaging activist ships in the past but no evidence has been found to back up these claims.[57]
Three ships – theRachel Corrie, theChallenger I and theChallenger II – suffered damage or malfunction. While theChallenger I was able to continue, theChallenger II had to turn back halfway through the journey andRachel Corrie docked for repairs inMalta.Greta Berlin of the Free Gaza Movement said that electric wires may have been tampered with.[61]
Israeli forcesraided the flotilla on the night of 30–31 May 2010 ininternational waters of the Mediterranean Sea, boarding the ships using speedboats and helicopters. Nine activists were killed. Dozens of activists and seven Israeli soldiers were injured.
After the raid, the activists were detained in Israel pending release: all were deported by 6 June. The ships were towed to Israel and those claimed by their owners were returned. The aid was delivered to Gaza under United Nations supervision on 17 June.
Widespreadinternational condemnation of and reaction to the raid followed. Variousinvestigations were conducted, including by the United Nations, Israel and Turkey.Israel-Turkey relations were strained, and Israel subsequently eased its blockade on Gaza.
Following the incident, theFreedom Flotilla Coalition was established to coordinate further efforts against the Israeli blockade. Since then, attempts with theFreedom Flotilla II in 2011,Freedom Flotilla III in 2015,Women's Boat to Gaza in 2016, Just Future for Palestine Flotilla in2018, and flotillas inJune andJuly 2025, have all been intercepted, raided or attacked by Israeli forces.[62] In August, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition joined theGlobal Sumud Flotilla, and began launching a series of flotilla convoys towards Gaza.[63]
A 2017Jordanian documentary,The Truth: Lost at Sea, recalls the story of the flotilla.[64]
MVRachel Corrie ... is ploughing ahead with its attempt to deliver aid to Gaza despite yesterday's deadly attack by the Israeli navy on a Gaza-bound flotilla.
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