The 47-vessel Global Sumud Flotilla bound for Gaza is pressing forward despite mounting international pressure, setting the stage for a potentially volatile confrontation with Israeli forces in the coming hours.

Late Tuesday, flotilla organizers dismissed appeals from Italy to call off the mission, describing Rome’s stance as “sabotage” and vowing to continue. “The flotilla sails onward,” the group declared in a statement, after Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni warned that the effort risked undermining U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point proposal to end the war in Gaza and move toward limited Palestinian statehood.

The standoff is expected to reach a critical point as the convoy — carrying over 500 activists, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, parliamentarians, and lawyers — approaches the 150-nautical-mile line off Gaza’s coast. Israeli officials have signaled that naval forces are prepared to intercept the flotilla, which could unfold on Yom Kippur.

Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, an IDF spokesperson, said last week that the Navy is ready for the operation, though the scale of this flotilla poses greater challenges than in past attempts. Plans call for boarding the vessels, transferring passengers to a larger ship, and escorting them to Ashdod Port, where hundreds of police will handle detention and deportation. Some ships may be towed in, while others could be sunk at sea.

The flotilla is currently shadowed by one Spanish and two Italian navy vessels, though both governments have emphasized that their ships will not intervene militarily. Italy’s defense ministry said its vessels will cease accompanying the convoy once it crosses the 150-mile threshold.

Flotilla participants reported drone activity and encounters with unidentified vessels on Tuesday night. One video posted online appeared to show an Israeli patrol boat trailing the flotilla’s lead ships. Maria Elena Delia, an Italian spokeswoman for the mission, predicted on social media: “Israel will probably attack us tonight, because all the signals point to this happening.”

Inside Israel, preparations are extensive: some 600 police officers will staff the transfer process at Ashdod, special Interior Ministry tribunals are being organized at Ketziot prison for those who refuse deportation, and hospitals along the coast are on high alert.

Reports in Israeli media suggested some security officials favored negotiating with flotilla leaders to avoid confrontation, but political leaders opted to proceed with military preparations. Organizers maintain they rejected all diplomatic offers presented to them.

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