Freedom Flotilla III (#FF3) was a

flotilla A flotilla (from Spanish, meaning a small ''flota'' ( fleet) of ships), or naval flotilla, is a formation of small warships that may be part of a larger fleet. Composition A flotilla is usually composed of a homogeneous group of the same cla ...

that planned to break the

blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are ...

of the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

by sailing to Gaza. It started from

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

on 10 May 2015 and stopped in several European cities along the way to Gaza. It started officially from

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

on 25 June 2015. Few details were released in advance. On 29 June 2015 the Swedish-flagged vessel "Marianne" was intercepted by the Israeli navy in international waters about 100 nautical miles from the Palestinian coast of Gaza. The Israeli military reported that no force was needed during the operation. However, eye-witness video published by Israeli Channel 2 TV shows people being tasered by IDF commandos. The ''Marianne'' was boarded by Israeli forces and taken to the

port of Ashdod The Port of Ashdod () is one of Israel's three main cargo ports. The port is located in Ashdod, about 40 kilometers south of Tel Aviv, adjoining the mouth of the Lachish River. Its establishment significantly enhanced the country's port capacity ...

, while the rest of the ships turned back. Organizers of the flotilla have repeatedly stated the boat was carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza. According to Israel's defense minister Moshe Yaalon "there was no aid on board". The activists supplied a picture with two boxes containing a single

solar panel A solar panel is a device that converts sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are made of materials that produce excited electrons when exposed to light. These electrons flow through a circuit and produce direct ...

and a

nebulizer In medicine, a nebulizer (American English) or nebuliser (English language, English) is a drug delivery device used to administer medication in the form of a mist inhaled into the lungs. Nebulizers are commonly used for the treatment of asthma, c ...

and added that the boat was to be donated to Gazan fishermen. On 30 June 2015, Israel began releasing some detainees. Former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki was deported to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France, while Member of European Parliament Ana Miranda from Galicia was deported to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

Member of the Israeli

Knesset The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel. The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...

Basel Ghattas, and Israeli journalist Ohad Chamo, were released. Two Canadians and a Norwegian sailor were deported on July 2. A Russian journalist and six Swedish participants remained in prison until July 6.

Reactions to the Flotilla

Official

's stated plan was to "welcome" the flotilla participants and hand them letters with a message from the Prime Minister's Office: "Perhaps you meant to sail somewhere else nearby – Syria, where Assad's regime is massacring his people every day, with the support of the murderous Iranian regime." * UN-ESCWA: The UN Undersecretary-General and Executive Secretary of UN-ESCWA

Rima Khalaf Rima Khalaf Hunaidi (; born 1953, in Kuwait) is a national of Jordan who served as Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) from 2010 to 2017. She resigned from this position in March 2017 ...

issued a statement condemning Israel's detention of former Tunisian president Moncef Marzouki. Khalaf concluded "What president Marzouki and his companions did is a practice of a right and a response to the call of conscience to lift the injustice and suffering of 1.8 million civilians under siege in Gaza. What Israel did is aggression and offence". * NewLogoISESCO

ISESCO The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO, formerly ISESCO) is a specialized organization that operates under the aegis of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and is concerned with fields of education ...

: ISESCO condemned seizure of Freedom Flotilla Gaza 3 vessel carrying humanitarian supplies to the people of Gaza Strip. It called on the international community to put pressure on the Zionist regime to promptly release all people on board and guarantee their safety including Moncef Marzouki. * : Tunisia condemned the interception by the Israel Defense Forces of one of the vessels of the Freedom III flotilla and the President Moncef Marzouki. Tunisia called on Israel, in a Foreign Ministry statement, to immediately release all participants in the flotilla, holding the Israeli occupation responsible for their safety and that of President Moncef Marzouki. * : The State of Qatar strongly condemned the Israel Defense Forces' interception of Freedom Flotilla III heading to Gaza and the detention of former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the officials are following with concern the development of the situation in the Gaza Strip, the continuation of the Israeli violations and cutting off humanitarian supplies for Gaza's population, calling for quickly release of Marzouki and the rest of the participants. The statement called on the international community to take immediate action to stop the Israeli abuse and lift the siege on the Gaza Strip. * : The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned Israel for its intervention on the Swedish leader vessel, Marianne, in international waters during its participation in the Third Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The statement asked Israel to lift the blockade in Gaza immediately.

Unofficial

* Vice Chairman of

Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...

political bureau

Ismail Haniyeh Ismail Haniyeh (, ; 29 January 1962 – 31 July 2024) was a Palestinian politician who served as third chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau from May 2017 until Assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, his assassination in July 2024. He also served as ...

condemned the Israeli piracy against Freedom Flotilla 3. Haniya stated that such piracy highlights the Israeli policy of violation of the International law, and reflects the Israeli terrorism that prevents freedom of sailing to and from the Strip. Haniya slammed the Israeli interception of prominent figures participating in Freedom Flotilla 3, including the former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki, stressing that such Israeli act breaches diplomatic and international norms. Haniya praised Marzouki as a defender of the

Arab Spring The Arab Spring () was a series of Nonviolent resistance, anti-government protests, Rebellion, uprisings, and Insurgency, armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began Tunisian revolution, in Tunisia ...

and Arab revolutions that support the Palestinian cause. * Tunisia's parties,

Ennahda Movement The Ennahda Movement (; ), also known as the Renaissance Party or simply known as Ennahda, is a self-defined Islamic democratic political party in Tunisia. Founded as the Movement of Islamic Tendency in 1981, Ennahda was inspired by the Egypti ...

, Democratic Forum, Republican Party, Congress for the Republic,

Democratic Current The Democratic Current () is a social-democratic political party in Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the s ...

and

Hizb ut-Tahrir Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT; ) is an international pan-Islamist and Islamic fundamentalist political organization whose stated aim is the re-establishment of the Islamic caliphate to unite the Muslim community (called ''ummah'') and implement sharia glo ...

(Tunisia Branch) Issued statements condemning interception fleet, and in solidarity with the Palestinian people and the Gaza Strip, and calls for the international community to intervene to ensure the safety of the participants, led by former President Moncef Marzouki. * Spain's Podemos and

Galician Nationalist Bloc The Galician Nationalist Bloc ( , BNG) is a political party from Galicia (Spain), Galicia, formed with the merger of a series of left-wing Galician nationalism, Galician nationalist parties. It is self-defined as a "patriotic Popular front, front" ...

have criticized Israeli action to disrupt the Third Gaza Freedom Flotilla. In a written statement, the Galician Nationalist Bloc described Israeli action as "piracy", and it called on Spain's Foreign Ministry to take a tough stance over the incident and face the Gaza issue head on. Podemos's spokesman also urged the international community to raise its voice against Israel.

Participants

''This is not a complete list.''See the full list on th
official website

Ships

The following ships participated in the flotilla: * ''Marianne'' * ''Rachel'' * ''Vittorio'' * ''Juliano II''

Organization partners

References

External links

*
Official page of the International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza on Facebook

Official page of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition on Facebook
{{Portal bar, Palestine Political activism 2015 in Sweden Blockade of the Gaza Strip