The announcements to deploy navy vessels to assist and protect the flotilla comes after activists reported several attacks on its ships.
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Following Italy's decision, Spain now also announced it will send a navy ship to assist the flotilla to the famine-stricken Gaza, set to break Israel's longstanding blockade of the Strip and deliver crucial aid.
The decision comes in light of recent attacks on several of the convoy's ships, including the latest attack late on Tuesday when activists reported "at least 13 explosions," while drones or aircraft dropped "unidentified objects" on at least 10 boats.
On Wednesday, Italy condemed the attack and deployed a multi-purpose frigate for potential rescue operations, Italy's Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said. Italy informed Israel about the decision.
“In a democracy, demonstrations and forms of protest must also be protected when they are carried out in accordance with international law and without resorting to violence,” Crosetto said.
The country's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also condemned the overnight attack on the flotilla, but called the aid initiative "dangerous and irresponsible." Meloni proposed a plan to hand over the aid to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem in Cyprus, which would then be in charge of delivering the aid. The group has yet to respond to the proposal.
Shortly after Italy's announcement, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Spain will also deploy a patrol vessel "with all necessary resources" to protect and assist the flotilla on its journey to Gaza.
“The Spanish Government demands that international law be complied with and that the right of our citizens to navigate the Mediterranean safely be respected,” Sánchez said at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Israel has repeatedly said it would not allow the flotilla to reach the Strip, claiming without evidence, that the convoy is "organised by Hamas."
"If the flotilla participants’ genuine wish is to deliver humanitarian aid rather than serve Hamas, Israel calls on the vessels to dock at the Ashkelon Marina and unload the aid there, from where it will be transferred promptly in a coordinated manner to the Gaza Strip," Israel's Foreign Ministry wrote on X on Monday.
Brazilian activist and one of the activists on the flotilla, Thiago Ávila, emphasised the group would not abandon its mission.
"The Global Sumud Flotilla is a peaceful, non-violent, humantarian mission, which is abiding by international law, wich says in the ICJ (International Court of Justice) provisional ruling that no country can hinder humanitarian aid trying to get to Gaza," Ávila said in a video statement on Instagram.
The flotilla is a civilian fleet of over 50 small vessels from 44 countries, aimed at breaking an 18-year-long Israeli blockade of the Strip, long predating Israel's current war in Gaza, which started in October 2023 following an attack by Hamas-led militants on southern Israel. Israel says the blockade is needed to keep Hamas from importing arms, while critics call it collective punishment.
Since the aid flotilla set sail from Spain at the start of September, activists have reported several attacks on the convoy, including on several boats in Greek waters on Teusday, and on two leading ships in Tunisian waters earlier this month.
While there is no concrete evidence, activists have accused Israel of being behind the attacks.
In July, the unarmed Freedom flotilla was boarded by Israeli forces in international waters, while it was en route carrying supplies to the Strip.