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Israeli forces prevent aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists from reaching Gaza

Israeli forces prevent aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists from reaching Gaza

CTV News2 days ago

Activists of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, board the Madleen boat, ahead of setting sail for Gaza, departing from the Sicilian port of Catania, Italy, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Salvatore Cavalli)
JERUSALEM — Israeli forces stopped a Gaza-bound aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists early Monday and diverted it to Israel, enforcing a longstanding blockade of the Palestinian territory that has been tightened during the war with Hamas.
'The `selfie yacht' of the `celebrities' is safely making its way to the shores of Israel,' the Foreign Ministry said in a social media post. 'The passengers are expected to return to their home countries.'
The 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities' is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries.
While Greta and others attempted to stage a media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain publicity — and which included… pic.twitter.com/eEZSJJHVfd — Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) June 9, 2025
It said the humanitarian aid aboard the ship would be transferred to Gaza through established channels. It later circulated footage of what appeared to be Israeli military personnel handing out sandwiches and water to the activists, who were wearing orange life vests.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which had organized the voyage to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and protest Israel's blockade and wartime conduct, said the activists had been 'kidnapped by Israeli forces' and released pre-recorded messages from them.
Thunberg, a climate campaigner, was among 12 activists aboard the Madleen, which set sail from Sicily a week ago. Along the way, it had stopped on Thursday to rescue four migrants who had jumped overboard to avoid being detained by the Libyan coast guard.
Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent, was also among the volunteers on board. She has been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies toward the Palestinians.
After a 2 1/2-month total blockade aimed at pressuring Hamas, Israel started allowing some basic aid into Gaza last month, but humanitarian workers have warned of famine unless the blockade is lifted and Israel ends its military offensive.
An attempt last month by Freedom Flotilla to reach Gaza by sea failed after another of the group's vessels was attacked by two drones while sailing in international waters off Malta. The group blamed Israel for the attack, which damaged the front section of the ship.
Israel and Egypt have imposed varying degrees of blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007. Critics of the blockade say it amounts to collective punishment of Gaza's roughly 2 million Palestinians.
Israel sealed Gaza off from all aid in the early days of the war ignited by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, but later relented under U.S. pressure. In early March, shortly before Israel ended a ceasefire with Hamas, the country again blocked all imports, including food, fuel and medicine.
Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and abducted 251 hostages, more than half of whom have since been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Hamas is still holding 55 hostages, more than half of them believed to be dead.
Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which has said women and children make up most of the dead. It doesn't say whether those killed are civilians or combatants.
The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced around 90% of the territory's population, leaving people there almost completely dependent on international aid.

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Israel appears to believe its war goals are getting closer, as Gaza teeters on starvation
Israel appears to believe its war goals are getting closer, as Gaza teeters on starvation

CBC

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  • CBC

Israel appears to believe its war goals are getting closer, as Gaza teeters on starvation

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Various UN and private agencies that had previously been co-ordinating aid distribution in Gaza expressed a strong willingness to resume their work, but Israel's government refused. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly claimed that Hamas was stealing or diverting vast quantities of food aid, a claim that international agencies say is overstated. And yet the Crisis Group report says that, less than a month ago, the UN presented a "comprehensive" plan that addressed Israel's security concerns, with QR-coded cargo; sealed, GPS-tracked trucks; UN monitors at every crossing, and other precautions. Nearly 9,000 truckloads of aid were "sitting ready" in Egypt and Jordan, it says. Israel did not respond to the proposal. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Netanyahu's office did not respond to further questions, which the Government Press Office said it had forwarded. Who precisely is providing money to pay for those GHF meals is also unclear. 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The militant group — which attacked communities in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 1200 people — has demanded Israel end its war in Gaza and withdraw its forces from the territory. Netanyahu says Israel's war aims remain unchanged: defeating Hamas, bringing back the remaining 25 or so living hostages from Gaza, and ensuring that Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel in the future. Still, even if Israel's military feels its war goals are getting closer, it's unclear how long the GHF's operations will be sustainable. The Crisis Group report underscores that while, technically, Gaza's population is probably not in a state of famine, most people there remain severely undernourished. The report notes that Israel's own military has set the threshold for avoiding malnutrition at 2,200 calories per person per day — while the GHF has promised to provide only 1,750. In such a state, Blecher, the report's author, says the population of Gaza cannot survive indefinitely. 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U.S. condemns Canada and other allies sanctioning two Israeli ministers
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Calgary Herald

time7 hours ago

  • Calgary Herald

U.S. condemns Canada and other allies sanctioning two Israeli ministers

OTTAWA — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is condemning Canada and other allies' decision to sanction two members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet on Tuesday, calling for the move to be reversed. Article content Earlier in the day, Canada joined the United Kingdom, Australia, Norway, and New Zealand in announcing sanctions against National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, two far-right members of Netanyahu's war cabinet, over what the countries said was inciting settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Article content Article content Article content Smotrich was one of two ministers who recently announced the approval of 22 Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Ben-Gvir has also called for Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip, which is home to around two million Palestinians. Smotrich has supported the idea of Israelis settling in Gaza. Article content Article content 'Extremist rhetoric advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements is appalling and dangerous.' Article content By Tuesday afternoon, Rubio delivered a sharp rebuke of the decision by Canada and other allies, saying it rejects 'any notion of equivalence' with Hamas and wanted to remind its partners 'not to forget who the real enemy is.' Article content 'These sanctions do not advance U.S.-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war,' Rubio posted on X. Article content Article content 'The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel.' Article content Article content The sanctions come amid growing pressure on Israel from allies over how it is conducting its war against Hamas, which was triggered when Hamas militants stormed from Gaza into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking another 250 people hostage. Article content The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry estimates more than 50,000 people have been killed since Israel launched its response. It does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. Article content Prime Minister Mark Carney, along with the leaders of the U.K. and France, said in a statement last month that they opposed Israel's latest expansion of the war and called on the country to allow more deliveries of food and other aid into Gaza.

U.S. condemns Canada, four other nations over Israeli sanctions
U.S. condemns Canada, four other nations over Israeli sanctions

Toronto Star

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  • Toronto Star

U.S. condemns Canada, four other nations over Israeli sanctions

OTTAWA - The United States condemned Canada and four other countries on Tuesday for imposing sanctions on two Israeli cabinet ministers. Canada joined the U.K., Norway, Australia and New Zealand on Tuesday in sanctioning Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, accusing them of pushing 'extremist rhetoric' by calling for the displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank and the expansion of Israeli settlements in the territory. 'Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights,' reads a joint statement issued by the five countries. 'Extremist rhetoric advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements is appalling and dangerous. These actions are not acceptable.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway have imposed sanctions on two far-right Israeli government ministers for allegedly 'inciting extremist violence' against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. (AP Video / June 10, 2025) In a statement released Tuesday afternoon by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the United States condemned the sanctions aurged the countries to reverse. He said the sanctions do not advance the United States' efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the region, bring home hostages and end the war. The statement goes on to blame Hamas for disturbing the peace of Gaza civilians. 'We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is. The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel,' the statement read. Israel's Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa'ar said Tuesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is calling a meeting early next week to decide on a response to the sanctions. 'It is outrageous that elected representatives and members of the government are subjected to these kind of measures,' Sa'ar said at a press conference. The Canadian Press reached out to Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand for comment on Rubio's remarks but has not received a response. Before Rubio's statement on Tuesday, Anand said that 'extremist settler violence' threatens the long-term safety of both Israelis and Palestinians. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'It prolongs the existing conflict and it erodes the path to a two-state solution, which we see as the only path to sustainable peace and security, including for Israel,' Anand said following the weekly Liberal cabinet meeting. Asked about the prospect of further sanctions on Israeli government officials, Anand maintained that Canada's focus is on Ben-Gvir and Smotrich. 'These two individuals promoted extremist settler violence and it has to stop. I will add, they are members of Netanyahu's government. They are not members of his party, but rather coalition partners from far-right parties,' Anand said. NDP foreign affairs critic Heather McPherson said Canada should be sanctioning all senior members of Netanyahu's government. 'Canada should respect international law and sanction Netanyahu and his cabinet immediately for their role in the genocide of Gaza. All Israeli officials who incite or are responsible for genocide should be sanctioned,' McPherson said in a media statement. McPherson said the NDP has been calling for sanctions on Ben-Gvir and Smotrich for 19 months. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The joint statement says that the countries tried to work with the Israeli government on the issue of forced Palestinian displacement but 'violent perpetrators' continue to act with 'encouragement and impunity.' The statement says that while the countries imposing sanctions still support Israel's right to defend itself, the actions of the 'targeted individuals' undermine 'Israel's own security and standing in the world.' 'Today's measures focus on the West Bank, but of course this cannot be seen in isolation from the catastrophe in Gaza,' the statement says. 'We continue to be appalled by the immense suffering of civilians, including the denial of essential aid.' The sanctioned individuals are inadmissible to Canada and Canadian individuals and organizations are barred from doing business with them. Last month, Prime Minister Mark Carney joined British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron in writing an open letter condemning Israeli military operations in Gaza. The three leaders called the level of suffering in the territory 'intolerable.' The letter called on the Israeli government to allow more food aid into Gaza and to end military operations there, and for Hamas to release its remaining hostages. The three leaders said they would take 'concrete actions' if Israel did not comply. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Carney, Starmer and Macron also threatened to impose sanctions on people and groups linked to the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The U.K. imposed sanctions on what it called a 'West Bank violence network' shortly after the letter was released publicly. Canada has imposed three previous rounds of sanctions on people and groups associated with expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The last round of sanctions was announced in February. — With files from Craig Lord and The Associated Press. This report was first published by The Canadian Press on June 10, 2025. Politics Headlines Newsletter Get the latest news and unmatched insights in your inbox every evening Error! 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