Israeli forces stop aid ship carrying activists from reaching Gaza
Update:
Date: 03:36 BST
Title: Welcome to our live coverage
Content: We're following the apparent blockade of an aid vessel bound for Gaza Strip.
Israeli troops have boarded British-flagged yacht Madleen on Sunday, according to those onboard, as it tries to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Climate activist Greta Thunberg is among those aboard the vessel, which was reported to be off the Egyptian coast.
On Sunday, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition campaign group, which operates the yacht, posted a photo showing people in life jackets sitting with their hands up on Telegram.
"SOS! The volunteers on Madleen have been kidnapped by Israeli forces," the group wrote.
Israel's foreign ministry has said the yacht was "safely making its way to the shores of Israel" and its passengers were "expected to return to their home countries".
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Gaza-bound aid boat with Greta Thunberg onboard seized
Israeli forces seized a charity vessel, the British-flagged yacht Madleen, carrying Greta Thunberg and 11 others attempting to breach the naval blockade of Gaza. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC)-operated vessel aimed to deliver symbolic aid, including baby formula and rice, to Gaza and highlight the humanitarian crisis. The FFC reported the boat was boarded overnight before reaching Gaza, which Israel's foreign ministry later confirmed. Israel's foreign ministry dismissed the Madleen as a "selfie yacht" and the mission as a publicity stunt, stating all passengers were safe and unharmed and would be returned home. The ministry added that the passengers were provided with sandwiches and water.
The Independent
an hour ago
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Greta Thunberg accuses Israel of ‘kidnap' while carrying aid for Gaza
Climate activist Greta Thunberg has accused Israel of 'kidnapping' her and 11 others aboard the British -flagged yacht Madleen in international waters, according to a video released by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC). The FFC-operated vessel had aimed to deliver symbolic aid – including baby formula and rice – to Gaza on Monday, intending to highlight the ongoing humanitarian crisis. Thunberg appealed for urgent international support, stating, 'I urge all my friends, family, and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible'. The FFC said on Telegram that the boat was boarded overnight before reaching shore, later confirmed by Israel's foreign ministry.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
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Israeli forces take control of Gaza aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg
Israeli forces have taken command of a vessel that tried to challenge its naval blockade of the Gaza Strip, with the boat and its crew of 12 including activist Greta Thunberg now heading to a port in Israel, officials said on Sunday. The British-flagged yacht Madleen, which is operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), was aiming to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza later on Monday and raise international awareness of the humanitarian crisis there. However, the boat was boarded in the early hours of Monday before it could reach shore, the FFC said on its Telegram account. The Israeli foreign ministry later confirmed that it was under Israeli control. '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,' the ministry wrote on X. All passengers were safe and unharmed, the ministry later added. 'They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over.' The FFC accused Israel of 'forcibly intercepting' the Madleen and acting with 'total impunity'. It said in a statement the ship was 'unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo – including baby formula, food and medical supplies – confiscated.' 'Israel has no legal authority to detain international volunteers aboard the Madleen,' said Huwaida Arraf, a Freedom Flotilla organiser. 'These volunteers are not subject to Israeli jurisdiction and cannot be criminalized for delivering aid or challenging an illegal blockade – their detention is arbitrary, unlawful, and must end immediately.' Among the crew are Swedish climate campaigner Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European parliament. 'The crew of the Freedom Flotilla was arrested by the Israeli army in international waters around 2am,' Hassan posted on X. A photograph showed the crew seated on the boat, all wearing lifejackets, with their hands in the air. The yacht is carrying a small shipment of humanitarian aid, including rice and baby formula. The foreign ministry said the aid would be taken to Gaza. 'The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the 'celebrities' will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels,' it wrote. Israeli defence minister Israel Katz ordered the military on Sunday to prevent the Madleen from reaching Gaza, calling the mission a propaganda effort in support of Hamas. Israel imposed a naval blockade on the coastal territory after Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007. The blockade has remained in place through multiple conflicts, including the current war, which began after a Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, that killed more than 1,200 people, according to an Israeli tally. Gaza's health ministry says more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of Israel's military campaign. The United Nations has warned that most of Gaza's more than 2 million residents are facing famine. The Israeli government says the blockade is essential to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas. Francesca Albanese, the United Nations' special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, has supported the FFC operation and on Sunday, urged other boats to challenge the Gaza blockade. 'Madleen's journey may have ended, but the mission isn't over. Every Mediterranean port must send boats with aid & solidarity to Gaza,' she wrote on X. With Reuters
