Boat with Maldivian activist heads to Cyprus after Israel storms Gaza aid flotilla

IAC Maldives' secretary general Ibrahim Shaz (Bodey) is on one of the observer boats in the Global Sumud Flotilla.

The international observer boat with a Maldivian activist that is part of the Global Sumud Flotilla has diverted to Cyprus, after Israel began storming the Gaza-bound aid convoy.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, carrying humanitarian aid and medical supplies, set sail for Gaza at the end of August, with over 40 vessels carrying more than 500 activists from over 45 countries. On board one of the observer vessels in the fleet is Ibrahim Shaz (Bodey) the secretary general of the International Aid Campaign (IAC) Maldives.

Shaz’s boat had decided to divert to Cyprus and provide support from land when the vessels entered the “danger zone” near Gaza on Wednesday, but later dropped the plan and moved closer to the besieged coastal enclave.

On late Wednesday, Israel intercepted over a dozen of the vessels in international waters, and detained hundreds of activists on board.

Israeli soldiers point their guns at activists on board a vessel in the flotilla on October 2, 2025. (Photo/Handout/Global Sumud Flotilla via Reuters)

IAC’s media and PR director, Azhad Ahmed told Sun on Thursday afternoon that the observer boat Shaz is on is currently headed to Cyprus.

“Observer boats are not planned to go all the way,” he said.

Israeli naval forces boarded the vessels on late Wednesday about 70 nautical miles or 130 kilometers off the coast of Gaza, cutting communications and jamming signals as the flotilla neared the blockaded enclave.

In total, at least 21 vessels that are part of the flotilla have been intercepted at sea, and some 200 activists, including Greta Thunberg, have been detained so far.

According to the flotilla’s live tracker, at least one of the remaining vessels have entered Gaza’s waters.

Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza has killed over 66,000 people and wounded over 167,000 since October 2023. Thousands more are believed to be buried under the rubble of homes and office buildings devastated by Israeli air strikes.

The Global Sumud Flotilla marks the biggest mission to date to attempt to break Israel’s aid blockage in Gaza, as the coastal enclave endures a horrifying humanitarian crisis.