Turkish drones and a frigate are tracking the Global Sumud flotilla near Crete as it heads toward Gaza, with Italy, Spain, and Greece also monitoring.
According to flight tracking websites and open source commentators, Turkey appears to be using drones to monitor the Gaza-bound flotilla. The drones appeared over the last two days and appear to be high-level, large drones that can fly for many hours at a time.
These drones appear to be circling over areas near the flotilla, and they seem to be flying from Turkey. It appears that Ankara may be rotating several drones into position over the flotilla as the group of forty vessels makes its way slowly southeast of Crete.
Greek City Times appeared to confirm the presence of the Turkish drone. It says that “tensions flared in the Eastern Mediterranean on Friday as Turkish unmanned drones and a frigate operated just south of Crete, citing the ‘protection’ of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a group of vessels sailing toward the Gaza Strip carrying humanitarian aid.”
The flotilla, called Global Sumud, left the waters off Crete yesterday after having anchored near the island of Koufonisi. The flotilla had travelled around 55 nautical miles by the morning of September 28. The flotilla is moving slowly, around five knots an hour.
It is not clear what type of drone Ankara may be using to monitor the flotilla. The Turkish-made Anka drone can fly for over 24 hours, and its Anka-S variant is capable of operating for up to 30 hours at altitudes of up to 30,000 feet. At that height, the drone would not be visible from the flotilla.
Greta Thunberg and a crew member flash victory signs from their ship, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla aiming to reach Gaza and break Israel’s naval blockade, as they sail off Crete island, Greece, September 25, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/Stefanos Rapanis TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)
The possible presence of a Turkish drone adds to the number of militaries responding to the flotilla. Italy and Spain said they would send naval ships on September 24 to monitor or possibly assist the flotilla after the group claimed to be attacked by drones on the evening of September 23-24.
Italy then said it would send a second vessel. One of these ships apparently arrived on September 25. An NGO called Emergency also sent its large support vessel Life Support.
According to the Greek City Times and online commentators who follow open-source flight data, the Turkish drone is flying with the callsign VATOZ21. The Greek media writes that “a Turkish drone with the callsign VATOZ21 has been flying continuously over the flotilla, monitoring activity only a few kilometers off the Cretan coast. A second Turkish drone was also launched in the same area on Thursday, reinforcing Ankara’s aerial presence.”
The report also claimed a Turkish frigate had been spotted. Turkey and Egypt recently did naval drills. According to the Greek report, the Greek coast guard has monitored the flotilla as well, and Greek F-16s also conducted flights near it.
This is the ‘last stretch’
Turkish media is closely following the progress of the flotilla. Ankara has been deeply supportive of the Palestinians and very anti-Israel over the last several years. The flotilla organizers say this is the “last stretch” as they head toward Gazafrom Greece.
“The last stretch is here. After weeks at sea, the Flotilla sails with the prayers of millions and the hopes of Gaza’s children,” the flotilla said on September 28. The flotilla is 400 nautical miles from Gaza. It will take at least three days of sailing to reach the coast of Israel at its current pace.
It changed course slightly on September 28 to head toward the Egyptian port of Alexandria. It is not clear if it will stop in Egypt on the way to Gaza. If it continues at its present pace, it could take four days to reach Gaza, meaning it would arrive on Yom Kippur. However, if it stops in Egypt, this would add more days. The flotilla has a slow pace of around 4-5 knots an hour.