Albert, international pacifist bulletin

Israeli assault on the Global Sumud Flotilla, the European Union looks the other way.

It all happened under the noses of Frontex, the European border surveillance agency, and member states with naval and satellite assets in the area. Did they see it? Yes. Did they listen to the distress calls? Perhaps. Did they do anything? No.
2 May 2026
Redazione PeaceLink

Albert, pacifist bulletin

670 nautical miles from Gaza, in international waters, a civilian flotilla carrying humanitarian aid was surrounded and boarded in an act of international piracy. Drones, warships, communications and GPS jamming techniques: this isn't the script of an action movie, but the story of a military assault on unarmed vessels. The Israeli Navy acted as if it were in a war zone, but that stretch of sea wasn't the scene of conflict: it was, and is, an area under Greek search and rescue responsibility. Yet, no one intervened.

"Without GPS, without radio, a ship becomes invisible. It can't call for help, report injuries, or coordinate an escape route," denounces Oscar Camps, founder of Open Arms .

A very serious act has been committed: kidnapping of people, blocking of aid, sabotage of naval telecommunications. But there's a detail that makes the matter even more serious, and which calls Brussels directly into question. It all happened under the noses of Frontex , the European border surveillance agency, and of member states with naval and satellite assets in the area. Did they see it? Yes. Did they listen to the distress calls? Perhaps. Did they do anything? No.

The European Union's inertia isn't a blip. It's a recurring political choice. They lack the will to protect a humanitarian flotilla headed for Gaza. They've looked the other way .

The Montego Bay Convention, the SAR regulations, the principles of international humanitarian law: all of this has been violated. And the violation comes not only from those who launched the attack, but also from those who, having the obligation to monitor and provide assistance , have chosen silence.

"We are talking about serious violations of the law of the sea, search and rescue obligations, the protection of civilian vessels, and international humanitarian law when aid intended for the civilian population is blocked. The primary responsibility lies with those who intercept ships and those who, despite having the capacity and obligation to intervene, fail to do so. Without forgetting that this is an act of state piracy ." This is Oscar Camps' thesis. "Humanitarian aid has now become a clear political and military objective," he warns. And the European Union knows it. It knows that without an immediate response—guarantees for crews, SAR coordination, independent investigations—a terrifying precedent is being set: that anything can be done on the high seas, and that Europe will not lift a finger to stop it.

"A SAR zone ," Camps emphasizes, "is not a symbolic demarcation. It entails responsibilities for coordination, protection, and response to distress signals. If there are vessels unable to communicate, unable to maneuver, or in danger, the obligation is to activate search and rescue mechanisms . Failure to respond turns an omission into a responsibility."

In fact, a SAR (search and rescue) zone also extends into international waters. The Conference to Adopt the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue of 1979 , adopted in Hamburg and promoted by the IMO (International Maritime Organization), establishes that each signatory State must establish search and rescue (SAR) regions that extend beyond its own territorial waters , covering large portions of international waters .


What Frontex saw

  • Frontex has a network of drones and aircraft that constantly monitor the central and eastern Mediterranean, including the stretch of sea between Greece and Israel, and several sources indicate that the flotilla was under observation from above.

  • The SAR (Search and Rescue) zone where the flotilla was intercepted is officially under Greek responsibility, with the presence of EU coast guards and naval vessels, meaning that the entire operation took place in an area already covered by European radar, satellite, and naval systems.

Notes: Oscar Camps' statements are taken from https://ilmanifesto.it/vite-messe-in-pericolo-complice-linazione-dellunione-europea

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