This post, finally edited at 6:03 pm EDT on May 19, was initially written during the final hours of the flotilla campaign while Israeli gunmen were illegally seizing and boarding one sailboat after another of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and the Global Sumud Flotilla. When initially written, 6 boats were still sailing freely and 64 had been illegally assaulted.
Each boat of the flotilla was equipped with cameras for live streaming a view of life on board during its voyage. Through that live stream, members of the public could get a view of the happenings on each of the still-sailing boats until the moment the Israeli armed forces illegally attacked, boarded, and cut off the live streaming.
Each boat was also equipped with a transponder that used the Automatic Identification System (AIS), a standard maritime system, that broadcasts the boat’s location, speed, and identity. Thus, the public could track the path of the entire voyage of each of the boats on a map of the Mediterranean Sea. Here is the link to the map where the entire voyage of each boat is tracked: https://freedomflotilla.org/ffc-gsf-tracker/
This post was also edited at 3:10 pm with the final picture from the last boat still sailing, the Lina Al Nabulsi, just before Israeli forces in their Zodiac boat appeared in the distance. Israeli forces illegally seized the Lina and captured its participants shortly after this picture was taken:
Here is the joint statement by the foreign ministers of 10 countries regarding the Israeli Assaults on the Global Sumud Flotilla, 18 May 2026:
The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Türkiye, People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Federative Republic of Brazil, Republic of Colombia, Republic of Indonesia, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, State of Libya, Malaysia, Republic of Maldives, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and Kingdom of Spain condemn in the strongest terms the renewed Israeli assaults against the Global Sumud Flotilla, a peaceful civilian humanitarian initiative aimed at drawing international attention to the catastrophic humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people.
The Ministers recall with grave concern the Israeli interventions against previous flotillas in international waters and condemn the continuation of hostile acts targeting civilian vessels and humanitarian activists. Such assaults, including attacks against the vessels and the arbitrary detention of activists, constitute blatant violations of international law and international humanitarian law.
The Ministers express serious concern regarding the safety and security of the civilian participants of the flotilla and call for the immediate release of all detained activists, as well as for full respect for their rights and dignity.
The Ministers further stress that repeated attacks against peaceful humanitarian initiatives reflect the continued disregard for international law and freedom of navigation. They call on the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibilities, ensure the protection of civilians and humanitarian missions, and take concrete steps to end impunity and ensure accountability for these violations.
This post was first edited at 12:48pm EDT to provide a live stream from the Lina, then the last boat still sailing. That live stream was replaced by the following replay.
Status at 8:58am EDT May 19, 2026
Also see: https://globalsumudflotilla.org/tracker/
