Arab-Israeli influencer leads 'hasbara' flotilla to demonstrate hypocrisy of GSF

Arab-Israeli social media influencer Yosef Haddad led a group of activists on a mock “Hasbara flotilla” off Israel’s Mediterranean coast on Sunday, parodying the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla and accusing its organizers of hypocrisy.

Setting sail from the marina in Israel’s coastal city of Herzliya, participants carried signs reading “Is Gaza free yet” and “I thought this was the party flotilla” while circling inside Israel’s territorial waters aboard three boats.

The demonstration was intended as a direct response to the latest international flotilla effort aimed at challenging Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza. Haddad and fellow activists argued that such flotillas are more focused on anti-Israel political activism than delivering meaningful humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Haddad was joined by fellow Israelis Golda Daphna, Hallel Abramowitz-Silverman, Cindy Seni, Marwan Jaber, Ashley Waxman Bakshi and 12-year-old activist Ben Carasso during the voyage.

Haddad posted several videos for his large social media following during the trip, saying, among other things, that “We did our own flotilla. We send a clear message to all the ‘terror flotilla’ activists. You are not welcome here. You will not be able to enter Gaza.”

Anyone who truly cares about the people of Gaza shouldn’t be sending publicity flotillas- they should be demanding the removal of Hamas from power in Gaza! pic.twitter.com/efFhfSgjuS

— יוסף חדאד - Yoseph Haddad (@YosephHaddad) May 17, 2026

He also accused the GSF activists of hypocrisy, pointing out that there was no humanitarian aid aboard the boats they claimed were intended to help Gaza residents.

Past flotillas have been found to contain token amounts of expired medications, obsolete medical devices and other supplies that critics said would provide little practical benefit to Gaza residents despite organizers’ humanitarian claims.

Haddad said that if people around the world truly wanted to help Palestinians in Gaza, they should work to “free Gaza from the terrorist organization Hamas.”

Speaking directly to a Jerusalem Post journalist who was on the boat with him, Haddad added that “If we encounter the ‘Marmara II’ flotilla, the ‘terror flotilla,’ our mission is actually to show the world the difference between us and them. They’re going to shout ‘terrorists, baby killers,’ all this nonsense, and we’re going to shout ‘peace.’ We’re going to shout about the partnership between Jews and Arabs in Israel, and we’re going to show that partnership from here.”

“They are part of a terror flotilla, and they need to know that, and the world needs to know that,” he added.

Haddad also criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has repeatedly issued harsh public criticism of Israel during more than two decades in power and in 2024 threatened military intervention against the Jewish state.

Haddad has previously accused Erdogan of exploiting outrage over Gaza to portray himself as a defender of oppressed populations while simultaneously undermining democratic institutions in Turkey and imprisoning journalists and political opponents.

Speaking of Erdogan on Sunday, Haddad declared that “He’s a terror supporter. This is not me saying this. He himself admitted this time after time in his speeches, supporting Hamas, even giving them shelter in Turkey. And, of course, talking about invading Israel and coming to ‘free Jerusalem.’”

Referencing Israel’s rescue missions to international disaster zones, including in Turkey, as well as Israeli medical and technological innovation, Haddad concluded by saying, “This is the difference between us, human beings who sanctify life, and your government – not your people – your government, that sanctifies death.”