Spain summons envoy, others blast Israeli kidnap of Gaza aid flotilla crew

Spain’s Foreign Ministry has summoned the chargé d'affaires at the Israeli embassy in Madrid to protest the occupying regime's attack on the Gaza-bound aid flotilla in international waters and the abduction of pro-Palestine activists.

The Spanish Foreign Ministry announced in a statement on Thursday that it had summoned Dana Erlich to convey its "strongest condemnation" for the interception of the "Sumud 2" aid convoy.

Israeli naval forces targeted vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla’s Spring 2026 mission, which aimed to break Israel’s blockade on Gaza and deliver essential aid, off the coast of Greece in the Mediterranean Sea.

The organizers of the largest humanitarian aid flotilla trying to reach the besieged strip announced that 211 activists have been kidnapped in the attack.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also slammed the Israeli attack on the civilian aid convoy “Sumud 2” as another Israeli violation of international law.

He stressed that the European Union should suspend the partnership agreement with the Israeli regime as soon as possible and ask Israel’s premier Benjamin Netanyahu to respect freedom of navigation under international law.

Earlier, Anouar El-Anouni, a spokesperson for the European Commission, decried Israel for once again violating international law, and attacking the flotilla.

“The European Union has once again called on Israel to respect international law, including humanitarian law and the law of the sea, regarding the situation of the Sumud flotilla in the Mediterranean.”

Italy condemns Israel’s attack on Sumud

The Israeli interception of the flotilla also drew condemnation from Italy’s Foreign Ministry.

"We condemn the Israeli naval piracy against the ships of the Sumud flotilla, which were heading to the coast of the Gaza Strip to break the siege and provide humanitarian aid," the ministry said, calling on the Israeli regime to “immediately” release all the abducted activists.

UN rapporteur calls for urgent European reaction

Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, called for an urgent European action against the Israeli raid on the flotilla near Europe.

"The interception of these ships in international waters near the Greek coast is a dangerous development that requires a broad response at the European level,” she said.

"Allowing the targeting of ships in international waters near Europe raises serious questions about the level of compliance with international law."

Separately, the foreign ministers of of 11 countries condemned "in the strongest terms the Israeli assault on the Global Sumud Flotilla, which is a peaceful civilian humanitarian initiative aimed at drawing the attention of the international community to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza."

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Brazil, Spain, Turkey, Jordan, Libya, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Colombia, Maldives and South Africa said they "are deeply concerned about the safety of the civilian activists and urge the Israeli authorities to take the necessary measures to ensure their immediate release".

"The ministers also call on the international community to fulfill their moral and legal obligations to uphold international law, protect civilians, and ensure accountability for these violations," they said.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei had earlier condemned the Israeli operation as "maritime piracy" and a "terrorist act", sharply criticizing the violent abduction of pro-Palestinian activists on the high seas.

On Sunday, a convoy of more than 50 vessels carrying activists from multiple countries set sail from Italy towards Gaza, where Israel’s genocidal war has killed 72,599 Palestinians and injured 172,411 others.

A similar operation in October saw Israeli forces intercept around 40 flotilla boats, detaining more than 450 participants, including the grandson of South African leader Nelson Mandela, Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg and European Parliament member Rima Hassan.

Some of those detained later reported physical and psychological abuse in custody. The regime subsequently deported the activists.

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