Israeli troops take control of Gaza aid boat carrying activists including Greta Thunberg
ISRAEL HAS INTERCEPTED a Gaza-bound aid boat, preventing the activists onboard, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, from reaching the blockaded Palestinian territory.
The Madleen departed from Italy on 1 June aiming to bring awareness to food shortages in Gaza, which the United Nations 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.
AFP lost contact with the Madleen early this morning.
At around 3:02 am CET (00:02 Irish time), Israeli forces 'forcibly intercepted' the vessel in international waters as it was approaching Gaza, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition 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.
SOS! the volunteers on 'Madleen' have been kidnapped by Israeli forces.
Greta Thunberg is a Swedish citizen.
Pressure their foreign ministries and help us keep them safe!
Web:
https://t.co/uCGmx8sn8j
X :
@SweMFA
FB :
@SweMFA
IG : swedishmfa
#AllEyesOnMadeleen
pic.twitter.com/76Myrg2Bnz
— Freedom Flotilla Coalition (@GazaFFlotilla)
June 9, 2025
The Palestinian group Hamas condemned the diversion, saying in a statement the boat was being taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod.
The Israeli government had vowed to prevent the 'unauthorised' ship from breaching the naval blockade of Gaza, urging it to turn back.
Yesterday, Defence Minister Israel Katz said the blockade, in place since years before the Israel-Hamas war, was needed to prevent Palestinian militants from importing weapons.
After diverting the boat, Israel's foreign ministry posted a picture of the activists all in orange life jackets being offered water and sandwiches.
'All the passengers of the 'selfie yacht' are safe and unharmed,' the ministry wrote on social media, adding 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.
All the passengers of the 'selfie yacht' are safe and unharmed. They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over.
pic.twitter.com/tLZZYcspJO
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA)
June 9, 2025
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.
It said Israeli attacks killed at least 10 people on Sunday, including five civilians hit by gunfire near an aid distribution centre.
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'Risked their lives' for food
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal and witnesses said the civilians had been heading to a site west of Rafah, in southern Gaza, run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Witness Abdallah Nour al-Din told AFP that 'people started gathering in the Al-Alam area of Rafah' in the early morning.
'After about an hour and a half, hundreds moved toward the site and the army opened fire,' he said.
The Israeli military said it fired on people who 'continued advancing in a way that endangered the soldiers' despite warnings.
The GHF said in a statement there had been no incidents 'at any of our three sites' on Sunday.
Outside Nasser Hospital, where the emergency workers brought the casualties, AFPTV footage showed mourners crying over blood-stained body bags.
'I can't see you like this,' said Lin al-Daghma by her father's body.
She spoke of the struggle to access food aid after the two-months Israeli blockade, despite the recent easing.
At a charity kitchen in Gaza City, displaced Palestinian Umm Ghassan told AFP she had been unable to collect aid from a GHF site 'because there were so many people, and there was a lot of shooting. I was afraid to go in, but there were people who risked their lives for their children and families'.
Sinwar
Also on Sunday, the Israeli military said it had located and identified the body of Mohammed Sinwar, presumed Hamas leader in Gaza, in an 'underground tunnel route beneath the European Hospital in Khan Yunis', in southern Gaza.
The military, which until Sunday had not confirmed his death, said Israeli forces killed Sinwar on 13 May.
Sinwar was the younger brother of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, accused by Israel of masterminding the 2023 attack that triggered the war.
The Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians.
The health ministry in Gaza says at least 54,880 people, the majority civilians, have been killed in the territory since the start of the war.
The UN considers these figures reliable.
After the deaths of several Hamas leaders, Mohammed Sinwar was thought to be at the heart of decisions on indirect negotiations with Israel.
The military said that alongside Sinwar's body, forces had found 'additional intelligence' at the Khan Yunis site 'underneath the hospital, right under the emergency room'.
Experts said he likely took over as the head of Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, after its leader Mohammed Deif was killed by Israel.
The Palestinian group has remained tight-lipped over the names of its top ranks.
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© AFP 2025
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The Irish Sun
36 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
‘Just leave her in Gaza' Israeli hostage families slam Greta Thunberg over embarrassing ‘Freedom Flotilla' stunt
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One ex-government official rebuked what they branded an "insignificant episode which mostly manifested the stupidity of both sides". Rita Lifshitz, whose 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." Most read in The Sun Rita's father-in-law in captivity after being 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 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. 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Israeli's furious government has vowed to make Greta and other activists detained Haunting clips shows innocents, including children, being slaughtered by Hamas savages during the attacks. The footage - titled "Bearing Witness" - was taken from the Hamas terrorists' bodycams as they Hamas unleashed carnage in the Middle East after massacring more than 1,200 and abducting 251 hostages on October 7, 2023. What happened on October 7? ON OCTOBER 7, 2023, Hamas launched a brutal surprise attack on Israel, marking one of the darkest days in the nation's history. Terrorists stormed across the border from Gaza, killing over 1,200 people — most of them civilians — and kidnapping 250 others, including women, children, and the elderly. The coordinated assault saw heavily armed fighters infiltrate Israeli towns, kibbutzim, and military bases, unleashing indiscriminate violence. Innocent families were slaughtered in their homes, and graphic footage of the atrocities spread across social media, leaving the world in shock. And as well as attacking people in their homes, they stormed the Nova music peace festival - killing at least 364 people there alone. The massacre triggered a swift and massive retaliatory response from Israel, escalating into a full-scale war. The attack not only reignited long-standing tensions in the region but also left deep scars on both sides of the conflict, setting the stage for the 16 months of devastation that followed. Some 56 hostages remain in Gaza - 20 of whom 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"? Greta Thunberg - Swedish climate activist Rima Hassan – French-Palestinian MEP Yasemin Acar – German activist Thiago Avila – Brazilian activist Omar Faiad – French journalist Pascal Maurieras – French activist Yanis Mhamdi – French reporter Suayb Ordu – Turkish activist Sergio Toribio – Spanish activist Marco van Rennes – Dutch activist Reva Viard – French activist Liam Cunningham - Irish Game of Thrones actor Baptiste Andre - French Physician US President Donald Trump commented: "She's a strange person. "I think she needs to go to an anger management class." Travelling alongside her was Rima Hassan, a French member of the European parliament of Palestinian descent. She was barred from entering Israel due to her outspoken criticism of the country's Read more on the Irish Sun Organisers claimed pro-Palestinian FFC claimed the voyage was 'a non-violent, direct action to challenge Israel's illegal siege". Israel imposed a near-total blockade on Gaza in late 2023, following Hamas's horror massacre on southern Israel on October 7. 11 A photo posted on Telegram purportedly showing activists with their hands up on board the Madleen Credit: Freedom Flotilla Coalition 11 Greta Thunberg was part of the crew of the ship Madleen Credit: Getty 11 Greta Thunberg on board the "Freedom Flotilla" aid mission Credit: @chris_kebbon
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
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Deadly shooting by Israeli forces near Palestinian aid site in Gaza
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Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Activists ask Government to ‘go deeper' on holding Israel to account
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Mr Carmel previously served in the IDF's Cogat unit (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories) on the Gaza border. 'I was serving in this unit, Cogat, which is basically responsible for the application of Israeli government policy in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. 'I went overnight from being a cadet to being responsible more or less for the freedom of movement of tens of thousands of people in the area and in northern West Bank. 'The deeper I went and the further I got through my service, it became clearer to me that there's not really a way that you can influence from the inside when you're part of such a big system which is so geared towards making it impossible for Palestinians to live their lives freely. 'I feel that by doing this, I'm at least I'm doing my part in a way, to make up for what I was part of.' He said: 'As someone living in Israel, you can very easily live your life, not even knowing that the occupation exists. 'I think it's time that we as an Israeli society, first and foremost, but the world in general, should be able to differentiate between those two things, because it shouldn't be normalised the way it has been.' 'Destruction in Gaza' He added: 'The reason that the IDF are still there, supposedly, is because of the hostages. Even though we're very much doing what we're doing in Gaza at the expense of the hostages, and we're seeing more of them being killed because of Israeli action in Gaza. 'The end game here is to clear the Gaza strip of Palestinians in exactly the same way that was their idea is to clear Area C in West Bank in order to set up settlements. 'For a while now, it's been clear that destruction in Gaza has become a goal in and of itself, not just a means to an end. And we see that in all sorts of ways.' Mr Nawaj'ah, who is from the village of Susiya in the West Bank, has been campaigning since he was teenager. Now a Palestinian human rights defender and a field researcher, he said settler violence in the region is getting worse. He said that Ireland's response to Gaza has been as a humanitarian and moral one, and is important within the EU. 'We don't know how many villages are being annexed and we are taking our last breath,' he said. 'Settlers have been increasing and soldiers have been attacking homes and villages every day, late at night. 'They are successful in annexing villages and forcing people out of their homes. 'The state of Israel gives them a shield and cover to do these things. 'A lot of the lands in the Jordan Valley have been transferred to settlers, who bring their sheep and cows. 'We are helpless as the Israeli army do not intervene in favour of Palestinians. 'The war in Gaza has its end goal, which is to basically lead to ethnic cleansing, which is a goal of the current right-wing Israeli government.' Read More Greta Thunberg deported from Israel after Gaza-bound aid ship seized
