What to Know About the Seizure of the Gaza Aid Boat Carrying Greta Thunberg
Israel said on Monday it had intercepted a Gaza-bound ship carrying aid and a dozen people, including the activist Greta Thunberg.
The civilian ship, called the Madleen, has been operating under the auspices of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a group that opposes the nearly two-decade-old blockade of Gaza.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition said its activists had been 'kidnapped' by the Israeli military. Israel said it expected to return the ship's passengers to their home countries.
What happened?
The Madleen set sail from Sicily on June 1. Israel vowed to prevent the ship from reaching Gaza, saying its military would use 'any means necessary' to stop it from breaching an Israeli naval blockade of the enclave.
Surveillance footage recorded early Monday aboard the Madleen shows people in the cockpit wearing orange life vests as the bright lights of another vessel approach. People can then be seen boarding the Madleen.
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Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent, was among the passengers. She has previously been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies toward the Palestinians. It was not clear whether she was being immediately deported or detained. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said one of the detained French activists signed an expulsion order and would leave Tuesday. The other five refused. He said all the activists received consular visits. Sergio Toribio, a Spanish activist, slammed Israel's actions after he arrived in Barcelona. 'It is unforgivable, it is a violation of our rights. It is a pirate attack in international waters," he told reporters. Blockade of Gaza Palestinians in Gaza are now almost completely dependent on international aid. Israel and Egypt have imposed varying degrees of a blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007. Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent Hamas from importing arms, while critics say it amounts to collective punishment of Gaza's Palestinian population. During the 20-month-long war in Gaza, Israel has restricted and sometimes blocked all aid into the territory, including food, fuel and medicine. Experts say that policy has pushed Gaza toward famine. Israel asserts that Hamas siphons off the aid to bolster its rule. Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war and took 251 hostages, most released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Hamas still holds 55 hostages, more than half believed to be dead. Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants but has said women and children make up most of the dead. The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced around 90% of the territory's population. ___ Associated Press writers Angela Charlton in Paris, Teresa Medrano in Madrid, Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem and Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report. ___ Follow AP's war coverage at Isaac Scharf And Areej Hazboun, The Associated Press
