(FILES) People gather around the Freedom Flotilla ship "Handala" ahead of the boat's departure for Gaza at a port in Syracuse, Sicily, southern Italy, on July 13, 2025. Activists aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla said Israeli warships surrounded several of its boats on Wednesday and that the interception of the main vessels was under way. "The warships are moving in to intercept the flotilla -- only 81 nautical miles remain to Gaza," said the Maghreb contingent of the Global Sumud Flotilla in a statement. French politician Marie Mesmeur and Franco-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan also reported that their boats were being intercepted. (Photo by Giovanni ISOLINO / AFP)