Foreign affairs minister: Belgians on Gaza flotilla can count on Spain and Italy
Belgians taking part in the Global Sumud Flotilla, an international aid convoy headed for Gaza, will be able to count on support from Italy and Spain if needed. Foreign minister Maxime Prévot (Les Engagés) announced this in a press release, thanking his Italian and Spanish counterparts for their cooperation.
Prévot warned that the participants are “exposing themselves to significant risks,” while condemning Israel’s stance that they are automatically labelled as terrorists, calling it “completely unacceptable.”
The flotilla consists of around 50 vessels carrying aid. On Wednesday, activists reported drone attacks, flash grenades and disrupted radio communications. Two ships were said to have been damaged.
Prévot urges caution
Participants include activists of several nationalities, among them Belgians. While acknowledging the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, Prévot expressed caution, saying, “However commendable the initiative may be, given the dramatic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, I would like to reiterate that the action exposes the participants to significant risks.” He added that “life-threatening actions by activists are not necessary” to convince the international community of Gaza’s plight.
Israel has made clear that it “will not allow any access to its territory or passage through its territorial waters, and that it could equate those who do take that risk with terrorists.” Prévot condemned this, saying, “We can therefore only reiterate our call for the utmost caution and to avoid any action that could endanger the flotilla participants.”
Seeking to “avoid a dramatic outcome to the humanitarian action,” Prévot said he had contacted his Italian and Spanish colleagues. Both countries have dispatched naval vessels to the area. “If necessary, our compatriots can be helped by our Italian and Spanish friends,” he noted, underscoring that their role would be limited to assistance. The ships will not take military action nor “enter Israeli territorial waters without permission.”
A man waves a Palestinian flags to other activists and human rights defenders riding aboard a vessel departing from Tunisia's northern port of Bizerte on September 14, 2025 to join the last boats taking part in the Global Sumud Flotilla, bound for the Gaza Strip to break Israel's blockade on the Palestinian territory. Sumud means "resilience" in Arabic, and the flotilla describes itself as an independent group not linked to any government or political party. ©MOHAMED FLISS / AFP
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