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Greta Thunberg and her 'freedom flotilla' crew 'are forced to watch video of Hamas October 7 atrocities after Gaza-bound aid boat was boarded by IDF - as Israel condemns 'selfie yacht' stunt

Greta Thunberg and her 'freedom flotilla' crew 'are forced to watch video of Hamas October 7 atrocities after Gaza-bound aid boat was boarded by IDF - as Israel condemns 'selfie yacht' stunt

Daily Mail​a day ago

The crew of activists sailing to Gaza will be forced to watch a video of Hamas ' October 7 atrocities after being intercepted by the IDF, Israel 's defence minister said.
Israel Katz congratulated the military on its 'quick and safe takeover' of the Madleen after Israeli commandos seized the vessel in international waters overnight.
The group of 12, including climate activist Greta Thunberg, faced a terrifying night on the Mediterranean, shadowed by speedboats and drones, before being stopped.
Israel, which had said last week it would prevent the group from reaching Gaza with a symbolic gesture of aid, said the crew would be taken to the Israeli Port of Ashdod.
Katz said the crew would there be shown 'the video of the horrors' of the Hamas-led attack on Israel.
He said it was 'appropriate' the crew see 'what atrocities [Hamas] committed against women, the elderly, and children, and against whom Israel is fighting to defend itself'.
The video reportedly contains 43 minutes of 'uncensored' footage of 'people being massacred and bodies mutilated during the onslaught', per the Times of Israel.
After diverting the boat, Israel's foreign ministry posted a picture of the activists all in orange life jackets being offered water and sandwiches.
The foreign ministry derided what it called the 'selfie yacht' carrying 'celebrity' activists, saying the aid onboard would be transferred to Gaza through what it called 'real humanitarian channels'.
On Sunday, Katz said the blockade, in place since years before the Israel-Hamas war, was needed to prevent Palestinian militants from importing weapons.
The Madleen departed from Italy on June 1 aiming to bring awareness to food shortages in Gaza, which the UN has called the 'hungriest place on Earth'.
After 21 months of war, the UN has warned the territory's entire population is at risk of famine.
At around 3:02 am CET (0102 GMT) on Sunday, Israel 'forcibly intercepted' the vessel as it was approaching Gaza, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) said in a statement.
'If you see this video we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters,' Thunberg said in a pre-recorded video shared by the coalition.
The Israeli government had vowed to prevent the 'unauthorised' ship from breaching the naval blockade of Gaza, urging it to turn back.
The FFC had said earlier that the ship had come 'under assault in international waters'.
'Quadcopters are surrounding the ship, spraying it with a white paint-like substance. Communications are jammed, and disturbing sounds are being played over the radio,' the coalition wrote on Telegram.
Activist Yasmin Acar shared video from the vessel showing a white substance on the deck. She said it had been dropped on the Madleen.
Acar was later heard saying it was affecting her eyes. It was unclear what the substance was.
Israel has come under criticism for apprehending the group of activists in international waters.
Francesca Albanese, the UN's Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, said the British government must 'urgently seek full clarification' of the ship's status and work to 'secure the immediate release' of the vessel and crew.
'The Madleen must be allowed to continue its lawful humanitarian mission to Gaza,' she said.
MailOnline approached the Foreign Office for comment.
Critics have branded the interception 'state piracy' and condemned the lack of action from the crew members' respective governments.
Mouin Rabbani, a non-resident fellow at the Qatar-based Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies, told Al Jazeera: 'This is not only an act of state piracy. It's in direct violation of the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).'
Israel's foreign ministry stressed in a statement today that all crew members were 'safe and unharmed'.
It said that it expected the activists to return to their home countries.
'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 added.
'While Greta and others attempted to stage a media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain publicity — and which included less than a single truckload of aid — more than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza from Israel within the past two weeks, and in addition, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has distributed close to 11 million meals directly to civilians in Gaza.
'There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip — they do not involve Instagram selfies.
Israel is facing mounting international pressure to allow more aid into Gaza to alleviate widespread shortages of food and basic supplies.
It recently allowed humanitarian deliveries to resume after barring them for more than two months and began working with the newly formed, US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
But humanitarian agencies have criticised the GHF and the United Nations refuses to work with it, citing concerns over its practices and neutrality.
Dozens of people have been killed near GHF distribution points since late May, according to Gaza's civil defence agency.

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Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) GRETA Thunberg's "Freedom Flotilla" ship stunt has been slammed by the tormented families of hostages. Anti-Israel campaigner Greta, 22, has been accused of supporting Hamas after attempting to breach the Gaza blockade. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 11 Greta Thunberg pictured after the Israeli Defence Forces boarded the Madleen Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 11 Rita Lifshitz outside her father-in-law Oded's burnt-out home 11 The family of hostage Oded Lifshitz speaks to the crowd at a protest rally against the government Credit: Alamy 11 Greta pictured on a deportation flight from Israel Credit: Twitter/OSINTdefender Israeli naval forces seized the British flagged-yacht Madleen carrying the climate activist on Monday. Greta - who moaned she was "kidnapped" - has been blasted for her latest antic by the families of hostages who have lambasted her for wasting precious time. She has since been pictured on a deportation flight from Israel. One ex-government official rebuked what they branded an "insignificant episode which mostly manifested the stupidity of both sides". Rita Lifshitz, whose in-laws were brutally kidnapped on October 7, echoed suggestions she should have been "left in Gaza". She told The Sun: "In Sweden they said it would have been better to let her into Gaza so she couldn't come back. "People don't believe in what she's doing and saying. "This will just show them more that they shouldn't believe what she is saying." Rita's father-in-law Oded was callously killed in captivity after being snatched by Hamas terrorists from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. He and wife Yocheved were among 250 taken hostage when vile Hamas thugs tore across the border - killing at random and torching homes. Steve Brisley's sister Leanne 48, and his nieces Noiya, 16, and Yahel, 13, were among those cruelly murdered that day. Greta Thunberg's Gaza 'Freedom Flotilla' boarded & seized by Israeli forces The dad, from Bridgend, Wales, took aim at Greta's stunt for wasting time which could have been used to get the remaining hostages home. "This isn't about politics or publicity for me," he said. "It's about families torn apart and 55 hostages still in Gaza. "Their loved ones wait for their return - for an embrace or a burial. "Every moment wasted on anything else adds to the suffering on both sides." 11 Steve Brisley, whose sister and two nieces were killed on 7 October by Hamas Credit: AFP 11 Rita Lifshitz stands near her son, Daniel Lifshitz, as he delivers his grandfather's eulogy during the funeral for Oded Lifshitz Credit: Getty 11 Ruins of a kibbutz decimated by Hamas Credit: Katie Davis for The Sun 11 Greta Thunberg speaking at a press conference Credit: Getty Efrat Machikawa, whose elderly uncle Gadi Moses was trapped in Gaza for 15 months, resonated with Steve's call. 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Greta's bid to get into the strip with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) came after a failed attempt in May, when another of its vessels was struck by two drones in international waters off Malta. Footage on Monday showed the Israeli Navy communicating with the Madleen over a loudspeaker, urging it to change course. Israeli forces boarded the ship and the foreign ministry later confirmed it was "safely making its way to the shores of Israel". All passengers were safe, unharmed and handed sandwiches and water before the vessel docked at the southern Israeli port of Ashdod. The boat was carrying a "tiny amount of aid" on board - which will be sent to Gaza. Greta had earlier posted on social media with a Palestine flag and wearing a keffiyeh scarf while on the journey. Who is on board the "Freedom Flotilla"? 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