Overview

• The Israeli navy boarded dozens of civilian vessels roughly 70 nautical miles off Gaza and transferred passengers to Ashdod for identification and deportation procedures.
• Italy’s foreign minister said about 40 Italians are in Israeli custody, all are reported well, and the first repatriation flights could begin on October 3 with options for immediate voluntary expulsion or brief judicial processing.
• Nationwide demonstrations intensified in Italy with campus occupations and street actions; in Turin about 70 cyclists breached Caselle airport fencing, briefly suspending flights and leading to at least one arrest.
• Israeli officials circulated documents alleging links between elements of the flotilla and Hamas, a claim organizers reject as rights lawyers question the interdiction’s legality under maritime and humanitarian law.
• Organizers say a separate convoy carrying medical staff and journalists is sailing toward a planned rendezvous near Crete before attempting to proceed toward Gaza.