Erdogan Condemns Israel's Attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla: Piracy!
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned Israel’s assault on the Global Sumud Flotilla armada, which was carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. Erdogan described the attack as ‘piracy and robbery’. In a statement reported by TRT World on Tuesday, 19 May 2026, Erdogan urged the international community to respond to what he called an ‘illegal act’ by Israel. Speaking after a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Erdogan said that the obstruction and attacks by Israel targeting the humanitarian mission would not weaken global solidarity with Palestine or the effort to achieve justice for Gaza. ‘We condemn Israel’s piracy and robbery as strongly as possible,’ Erdogan said, noting that the Global Sumud Flotilla armada was supported by activists from around 40 countries. The Turkish president urged the international community to take concrete steps against Israel’s actions and accused Tel Aviv of continuing to violate international law through the blockades and the attacks on Gaza.
A similar condemnation was voiced by the Turkish Foreign Ministry, which described Israel’s intervention against the Global Sumud Flotilla as a ‘new act of piracy’. ‘We condemn the intervention by Israeli forces in international waters against the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was formed to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, and which is a new act of piracy,’ the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement. It added that Ankara authorities were taking the necessary steps to ensure the safe return of all Turkish nationals taking part in the humanitarian flotilla.
The Global Sumud Flotilla humanitarian mission reported dozens of ships intercepted and attacked by Israeli forces in international waters near Cyprus. The ships were undertaking the latest mission to breach the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip while delivering humanitarian aid. The flotilla consisted of more than 50 ships that had sailed since Thursday (14 May) last week from the Marmaris district in the Mediterranean waters of Turkey. The crisis management team of the humanitarian flotilla confirmed that Israeli soldiers attacked and boarded several ships, with contact lost for 23 of them.
The mission involved a total of 426 participants from 40 countries, including Germany, the United States, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Algeria, Morocco, France, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Canada, Egypt, Pakistan, Tunisia, Oman, New Zealand, and Indonesia. A Turkish news agency Anadolu Agency reported that 96 Turkish activists were on the mission. Live broadcasts from the Global Sumud Flotilla ships showed moments when Israeli Navy forces attacked and boarded ship after ship. An Israeli news site, Walla, reported that Israeli forces have so far detained around 100 activists from the humanitarian mission. Five of the detainees were Indonesian citizens, with Global Peace Convoy Indonesia (GPCI) confirming the detention of the Indonesians by Israel.