Israel vows to prevent aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg reaching Gaza
Israel Katz said on Sunday that Israel will not allow anyone to break its naval blockade of the Palestinian territory, which he said is aimed at preventing Hamas from importing arms.
He said in a statement: 'To the antisemitic Greta and her fellow Hamas propagandists – I will say this clearly: You should turn back, because you will not make it to Gaza.'
Climate campaigner Thunberg is among 12 activists aboard the Madleen, which is operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.
The vessel departed Sicily last Sunday on a mission that aims to break the sea blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid, while raising awareness over the growing humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave.
The activists had said they planned to reach Gaza's territorial waters a week later.
Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent, is among the others onboard. She has been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies towards the Palestinians.
After a three-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 and the war end.
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.
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BBC News
22 minutes ago
- BBC News
Israel says it has found body of Hamas military leader Mohammed Sinwar
The Israeli military has said it has located and identified the body of Mohammed Sinwar, the military leader of Palestinian armed group Hamas in body was discovered in a tunnel underneath the European Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Sunday. It said it had verified the body's identity through DNA checks - though Hamas has not publicly confirmed his 49, was killed in an air strike on 13 May, which the Hamas-run civil defence agency said killed 28 people and injured dozens. Sinwar's body was found alongside that of Mohammad Sabaneh, the commander of Hamas's Rafah Brigade, the IDF added that "several items belonging to Sinwar and Sabaneh were located, along with additional intelligence findings that were transferred for further investigation".The IDF said other bodies were found, which it was looking to identify. On Sunday, the IDF took a small group of foreign journalists into Gaza to Khan Younis to show them the also published video of the entrance to the tunnel, which is just in front of the European Hospital. The footage shows a long, narrow underground corridor that leads to several spokesperson Brig Gen Effie Defrin said that in one of the rooms they found the Sinwar's body. "This is another example of the cynical use by Hamas, using civilians as human shields, using civilian infrastructure, hospitals, again and again," he said. Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of using hospitals as hiding places for weapons and command centres, which the group IDF has mounted sieges and attacks on hospitals in Gaza, or ordered their evacuation, leaving the territory's health system on the verge of total attacks have caused widespread international concern, as many hospitals and medical facilities have been put out of action - and the lives of patients and staff put at a statement after an Israeli strike on al-Ahli hospital in April, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed his deep alarm and declared that, under international humanitarian law, the "wounded and sick, medical personnel and medical facilities, including hospitals, must be respected and protected".Hospital staff in Gaza have also repeatedly denied that Hamas is using their facilities as a IDF will point to this latest footage as vindication of its claims and its military with so much in Gaza, however, full independent verification is not possible. Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the unprecedented cross-border attack on 7 October 2023 , in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken least 54,880 people have been killed in Gaza since, according to the territory's Hamas-run health renewed fighting in Gaza comes following the collapse of a ceasefire and hostage exchange deal a few months then, Israel has restated its aim to destroy Hamas and recover the hostages, of whom 54 remain in captivity and 23 are thought to still be Sinwar joined Hamas shortly after its founding in the late 1980s and became a member of the group's military wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam rose through the ranks and by 2005 he was commander of the Khan Younis was also reported to have been close to another of Hamas's previous military chiefs, Mohammed Deif, and had been involved in the planning of the 7 October brother and predecessor, Yahya Sinwar - believed to be the one of the masterminds behind the 7 October attack - was killed by Israeli troops last October.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
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Middle East category · June 8, 2025 · 2:39 PM EDT The Israeli army said on Sunday it had retrieved the body of Hamas' military chief Mohammed Sinwar in an underground tunnel beneath a hospital in southern Gaza, following a targeted operation last month.
Belfast Telegraph
an hour ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Palestinian brothers in Belfast plead ‘stop this war' as they raise funds to ‘keep family alive' in Gaza
Running the Turkish Kebab House in west Belfast are Hasheem Jouda (25) and Alaa Alraee (36), two brothers originally from the war-torn region. Coming to Northern Ireland in 2020, the siblings started running the kebab shop as part of its new management when it came under new ownership in 2023. As a student of the University of Palestine, Hasheem is a keen photographer, often taking portraits in his spare time. His brother, who tackled the dangerous job of being a journalist back in Gaza, also helps run the recently renovated kebab shop. Despite appearing as hard-working brothers, the pair live in constant fear for their family back in Palestine, who are constantly on the move to avoid Israeli strikes bombarding the region. Before their daily shift, with the profits of their labours going to their family back home, the brothers spoke to the Belfast Telegraph at their shop in Andersonstown. 'We are fundraising and we are sending the money through the Western Union or MoneyGrams,' said Hasheem. 'We send it to my mum. We were thinking, 'We make the fundraiser, we make the money from our job, then we take them out' — when that was an option before. 'But now [since the war] there is no option for that. Now, we are sending money just to keep them alive. 'At the moment, they cannot go into Egypt. Hopefully something will change. 'Since the war, that chance is gone. You can't go out now. There is no option.' Following the start of the war on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked the Nova music festival, killing 1,195 people and taking 250 Israeli civilians and soldiers as hostages, the Israeli blockage on the region intensified. As of March 2 this year, there has been a complete block on all supplies entering Gaza, increasing the risk of famine. With a strict border, Hasheem and Alaa's family are unable to escape into Egypt or neighbouring countries. Previously residing in a camp in Rafah, they had to move to the central regions. Due to the scarcity of food, it has become expensive. Alaa tells of how one tomato could cost $10 in Gaza. 'The people of Northern Ireland, and the people of Ireland, they have a humanity inside them,' said Alaa. 'They have an understanding of what is happening in Gaza — the genocide. 'We spoke to our family [on Monday]. We made sure everyone is OK and everything is fine. Sometimes the internet is really bad. 'There is no signal and there is no electricity as well. So we send a message and wait until they have good signal to send one back. 'Sometimes we don't know how we will talk with our family, because of the bombing — like you see in the news.' With frequent pro-Palestine marches across the country and sentiments from some communities in Northern Ireland, Hasheem said it makes him feel 'proud' of where he is from. 'You feel like you are proud. Many people support us; they stand beside us. We feel happy when we see the flags, when we see people doing protests for us,' he said. 'It makes you feel at home, like you have people who care for and support you. 'The hospitals are being targeted too. It's very hard for my sister, who has problems with her kidney, to get the right medication. 'My mother has cancer. She is going through chemo in Egypt. 'Some people, if they have a medical emergency, the Red Cross takes them to Egypt. 'She goes at the minute to get the chemo there. 'It's been a good couple of months since she started it, and thankfully she is getting better.' With the plight of his family heavy on their mind, journalist Alaa makes a plea to world leaders to have 'humanity': 'Please, try to do something together to stop this war. 'The people there are not numbers. Everyone has a family, has a dream. They have fathers and mothers. 'There are 50,000 dead — 50,000 stories have ended. 'Please stop the war. The important thing is that not all Palestinians are terrorists. They are a very kind people, the people there need hope. Anyone who has a little humanity — stop the war.'
