Overview

• Israel says more than 400 activists from roughly 41 to 45 boats were taken to the port of Ashdod for registration, with deportations to Europe expected.
• Flotilla organizers call the interdictions illegal and say the ships were in international waters, while the army rejects claims that any vessel neared Gaza.
• Activists reported the final straggler boat was halted on Friday morning, reinforcing Israel’s statement that no ship broke the naval cordon.
• Those held include Greta Thunberg, MEP Rima Hassan and Mandla Mandela, and Reporters Without Borders says over 20 journalists were detained as some Greek activists began hunger strikes.
• Tens of thousands demonstrated in Spain, Italy saw a CGIL-led general strike that disrupted transport, and protests were reported in multiple other cities as governments lodged diplomatic complaints.