Italy’s navy will stop following the international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza once it gets within 150 nautical miles (278 km) of the shore, the Italian defense ministry said on Tuesday.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, consisting of more than 40 civilian boats carrying parliamentarians, lawyers and activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, aims to break Israel’s blockade of the Palestinian enclave.
Once the convoy reaches the 150 nautical miles limit, the Italian frigate accompanying it will stop, “as communicated several times in recent days,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ship, Alpino (F-594), will issue two warnings to activists, with the second and final one foreseen at around 00:00 GMT, when the flotilla is expected to get within the stated distance, the statement added.
Earlier on Tuesday, an Italian spokeswoman for the flotilla, Maria Elena Delia, said that activists had been informed about the government’s plans to have the navy ship stop and turn back to avoid “a diplomatic incident” with Israel.
Get The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the terms
She said the flotilla had no intention of heeding Italy’s warnings not to get closer to the shore.
Members of the group of ships of the Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza are seen moored at the small island of Koufonisi, south of the island of Crete, on September 26, 2025. (Eleftherios ELIS / AFP)
Italy and Spain deployed navy vessels last week to assist the flotilla, after it was hit by drones armed with stun grenades and irritants in international waters off Greece, but without any intention to engage militarily.
Delia said activists were bracing for another strike in the coming hours.
“Israel will probably attack us tonight, because all the signals point to this happening,” she said in a video on Instagram.
Israel did not respond to flotilla accusations that it was behind last week’s attacks, but it has vowed to use any means to prevent the boats from reaching Gaza, arguing that its blockade is legal as part of its war against Hamas terrorists.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto has said he expects flotilla boats to be intercepted in the open sea and activists to face arrest.
On Tuesday, Crosetto made a “last appeal” to flotilla members to accept a compromise proposal to drop aid in Cyprus from where it would be delivered to Gaza and avoid a confrontation with Israeli forces. Flotilla representatives have repeatedly refused the offer, which Israel had backed.
Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto arrives for a NATO Defence Ministers meeting at the NATO headquarters, in Brussels, Belgium, on June 5, 2025. (NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP)
Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza in 2007, saying it was a bid to stop the import of weapons after the Hamas terror group overthrew the Palestinian Authority and took control of the enclave.
Israel has come under huge international pressure over its war in Gaza.
Israel began its Gaza offensive after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken as hostages back to Gaza. Of those, 48 remain in captivity, 20 of them believed alive.
The war has sparked a humanitarian crisis in the Strip, with most of the population displaced.
Is The Times of Israel important to you?
If so, we have a request.
Every day, even during war, our journalists keep you abreast of the most important developments that merit your attention. Millions of people rely on ToI for fast, fair and free coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
We care about Israel – and we know you do too. So today, we have an ask: show your appreciation for our work by joining The Times of Israel Community, an exclusive group for readers like you who appreciate and financially support our work.
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You appreciate our journalism
You clearly find our careful reporting valuable, in a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.
Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically since October 7.
So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you’ll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel