Gaza flotillas: The history behind attempts to break Israel’s blockade

Added: 2026-05-28

[00:00:00]And here's a closer look at the history of flotillas that have sought to challenge Israel's blockade on Gaza and why they continue to draw international attention.

[00:00:09]International activists have been attempting to reach Gaza by sea for nearly two decades and the movement began in 2006 during Israel's war on Lebanon before expanding after Israel imposed its blockade on Gaza in 2007.

[00:00:24]In 2008, two boats from the free Gaza movement became the first to successfully reach the enclave by sea despite the blockade. But since the year of 2010, nearly every flotilla has been intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters.

[00:00:39]The deadliest incident happened that same year when Israeli commandos raided the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara killing 10 activists and wounding dozens more.

[00:00:49]That operation sparked global outrage and severely strained ties between Israel and Turkey.

[00:00:55]Since then, repeated flotilla missions in 2011, 2015, 18, and 25 have all been stopped before reaching Gaza and organizers say the missions aim to deliver humanitarian aid and protest what they describe as collective punishment of Palestinians under the blockade. Israel says the naval blockade is necessary for security reasons and to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas. The latest flotilla involved the activists from more than 40 countries and came amid worsening shortages of food, medicine, and fuel in Gaza.