South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Israel detained South Korean nationals in international waters, calling the action “way out of line,” in an apparent reference to participants in the flotilla to Gaza.
The Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday that the latest activist flotilla, consisting of 50 boats, aiming to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza, had “come to an end,” with more than 400 activists taken to Israel.
During a cabinet meeting, Lee said South Korean citizens had been detained for reasons not valid under international law, questioning whether such actions could be allowed to pass without protest.
Lee also said he believes many European countries are willing to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under International Criminal Court warrants, but that Seoul must make its own judgment on the matter.
Israeli authorities began detaining the activists seized from the Gaza-bound flotilla at the southern Israeli port of Ashdod on Wednesday, the Adalah rights group said.
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The authorities said 430 activists aboard the flotilla were en route to Israel, while Adalah said some had already arrived at Ashdod port and were being held there.
“Having set sail toward Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid and challenge the unlawful blockade, these civilian participants were forcefully abducted from international waters and taken into Israeli territory entirely against their will,” Adalah said.
“These acts are a direct extension of Israel’s policies of collective punishment and starvation of Palestinians in Gaza.”
Israeli naval commandos intercept boats in the Global Sumud Flotilla off the coast of Cyprus on May 18, 2026. (Global Sumud Flotilla)
The flotilla was led by Turkish aid organization IHH, which is designated in Israel as a terror organization and which organized the deadly 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla to Gaza.
A live feed on the Global Sumud Flotilla’s website showed Israeli commandos boarding the vessels on Tuesday as activists in life vests put their hands up. The troops then destroyed cameras mounted on the ships.
In a post on X, the Foreign Ministry said 430 activists will be able to meet with their consular representatives.
“Israel will continue to act in full accordance with international law and will not permit any breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza,” the statement added.
The Israel Defense Forces began stopping the flotilla around 167 miles (268 kilometers) from the Gaza coastline, according to the flotilla’s website. The vessels departed last week from Marmaris, Turkey, which, along with Gaza-ruling Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, called the interdictions an act of “piracy.”
The Global Sumud Flotilla later confirmed that all 50 boats were intercepted, saying 428 participants from more than 40 countries were detained, including 78 Turks.
Boats belonging to the Global Sumud Flotilla depart for Gaza from the port of Marmaris, Turkey,, May 14, 2026, in an attempt to break the Israeli naval blockade. (AP/Murat Kocabas)
The flotilla urged governments and world leaders to demand the activists’ “immediate and unconditional release” and to ensure they receive legal and consular help without delay.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called for an urgent review of Israel’s use of force after Italian activists said soldiers fired rubber bullets at vessels — an account that was also reported by Hebrew media, but which Israel denied.
Italy said Tajani had repeatedly asked the Israeli government for assurances regarding the safety and well-being of detained Italian activists aboard the flotilla.
Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said he had summoned Israel’s chargé d’affaires in Madrid on Monday over what he called “a new violation of international law barely 15 days after the previous interception,” referring to a flotilla that was blocked by Israeli forces earlier this month. He estimated there were around 45 Spanish nationals in the flotilla, of whom between 10 and 20 were being detained.
Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry urged Israel to release all the detained activists and confirmed two of its nationals, including a journalist, were aboard the flotillas.
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