From the Liveblog of
Monday, May 18, 2026
‘Oops I did it again’: Israel mocks Gaza flotilla with Britney Spears song
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleNava Freiberg is The Times of Israel's deputy diplomatic correspondent.
In an apparent effort to mock the activist flotilla that was intercepted sailing toward Gaza today to challenge Israel’s naval blockade, Israeli authorities blasted Britney Spears’s hit song “Oops I Did It Again” through at least one of the flotilla vessels’ speakers, according to footage on X verified by a source familiar with the details.
The IDF is playing Britney Spears “Oops I did it again” over the radio to the Gaza flotilla ???? pic.twitter.com/VqmedamKRs
— Heidi Bachram (@HeidiBachram) May 18, 2026
In the video, an activist on board shows the song coming through the boat’s speakers, accusing the IDF of “jamming our communication channel with music” and “trying to prevent us from getting off mayday calls” — emergency signals used to alert authorities to life-threatening situations at sea.
“They are attacking a humanitarian flotilla, this is a true breach of international law and also a war crime. We are civilians and they are jamming our emergency channels. Free Palestine!” the activist says.
Organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla departed on more than 50 vessels last week from Marmaris, Turkey, just weeks after a previous flotilla was thwarted and two of its activists were detained.
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