Israel intercepts aid boat headed toward Gaza
Israeli forces stopped a humanitarian boat attempting to reach Gaza with passengers including climate activist Greta Thunberg and a French member of the European Parliament aboard early Monday, according to Israeli officials and an activist charity group.
The aid boat, arranged by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an international Gaza solitary group, was one of a number of ships that have tried to reach Gaza by sea in recent years to raise international awareness of Israel's naval blockade of the enclave. Most have been intercepted by Israeli forces before reaching Gaza's shores, or blocked from leaving ports.
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Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Israeli forces seize Gaza-bound aid boat and detain Greta Thunberg and other activists
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli forces seized a Gaza-bound aid boat and detained Greta Thunberg and other activists who were on board early Monday, enforcing a longstanding blockade of the Palestinian territory that has been tightened during the war with Hamas. The activists had set out to protest Israel's ongoing military campaign in the Gaza Strip, which is among the deadliest and most destructive since World War II, and its restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid, both of which have put the territory of some 2 million Palestinians at risk of famine. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which had organized the voyage, said the activists were 'kidnapped by Israeli forces' while trying to deliver desperately needed aid to the territory. 'The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo — including baby formula, food and medical supplies — confiscated,' it said in a statement. It said the ship was seized in international waters some 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Gaza. Israel's Foreign Ministry portrayed the voyage as a public relations stunt, saying in a post on X that "the 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities' is safely making its way to the shores of Israel.' It said the activists would return to their home countries and the aid would be sent to Gaza through established channels. It circulated footage of what appeared to be Israeli military personnel handing out sandwiches and water to the activists, who were wearing orange life vests. Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesperson, said the ship was still en route to Israel around midday Monday. It was expected to dock at the port of Ashdod. A weeklong voyage Thunberg, a climate campaigner, was among 12 activists aboard the Madleen, which set sail from Sicily a week ago. Along the way, it had stopped on Thursday to rescue four migrants who had jumped overboard to avoid being detained by the Libyan coast guard. '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," Thunberg said in a pre-recorded message released after the ship was halted. Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent, was also among the volunteers on board. She has been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies toward the Palestinians. She was among six French citizens aboard the boat. French President Emmanuel Macron asked Israel to allow them to return to France as soon as possible, his office said in a statement. Adalah, a rights group in Israel that said it was representing the activists, said Israel had 'no legal authority' to take over the ship because it was in international waters and because it was headed not to Israel but to the 'territorial waters of the state of Palestine.' 'The arrest of the unarmed activists, who operated in a civilian manner to provide humanitarian aid, amounts to a serious breach of international law,' Adalah said in a statement. After a 2 1/2-month total blockade aimed at pressuring Hamas, Israel started allowing some basic aid into Gaza last month, but humanitarian workers and experts have warned of famine unless the blockade is lifted and Israel ends its military offensive. 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, organizers said. The group blamed Israel for the attack, which damaged the front section of the ship. An 18-year blockade Israel and Egypt have imposed varying degrees of 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. Israel sealed Gaza off from all aid in the early days of the war ignited by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, but later relented under U.S. pressure. In early March, shortly before Israel ended a ceasefire with Hamas, the country again blocked all imports, including food, fuel and medicine. Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and abducted 251 hostages, most of whom have since been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Hamas is still holding 55 hostages, more than half of them 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, leaving people there almost completely dependent on international aid. Efforts to broker another truce have been deadlocked for months. Hamas says it will only release the remaining hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal, while Israel has vowed to continue the war until all the captives are returned and Hamas is defeated or disarmed and exiled. ___ Follow AP's war coverage at Yesica Fisch And Tia Goldenberg, The Associated Press
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
IDF detains Gaza-bound vessel carrying Greta Thunberg: ‘The show is over'
Israeli forces early Monday detained an aid boat bound for Gaza while carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists. The Israeli Defense Forces confirmed that it detained the Madleen, along with all its passengers, and diverted the vessel to Israel. A video from the ministry posted on X shows an Israeli Navy officer engaging with the approaching "selfie yacht." Israel Vows To 'Act Accordingly' As Thunberg Sails Toward Gaza On Palestinian-flagged Vessel "Using an international civilian communication system, the Israeli Navy has instructed the 'selfie yacht' to change its course due to its approach toward a restricted area," a post from the ministry read. The video shows a Navy officer telling them that the maritime of the Gaza coast is closed to traffic. She instructs the activists on board that they must deliver aid through established channels. Read On The Fox News App The Israel Foreign Ministry said the passengers were "safe and unharmed" and had been provided sandwiches and water. "The show is over," the ministry said. Israel had vowed to stop the so-called Freedom Flotilla Coalition in the days leading up to its arrival. Third Round Of Hostage Releases Begins As Part Of Hamas' Gaza Ceasefire Agreement With Israel Thunberg, a 22-year-old climate activist from Sweden, set sail aboard the Madleen last week, hoisting a Palestinian flag with 11 other activists, including "Game of Thrones" actor Liam Cunningham and Rima Hassa, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent. The groups' aim was to reach the shores of the Gaza Strip to bring in some aid and raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis there. According to the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, the aid on the ship was less than a single truckload. "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," the ministry said. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has instructed the IDF to screen the footage of October 7 to participants of the Gaza-bound flotilla. Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano contributed to this report. Original article source: IDF detains Gaza-bound vessel carrying Greta Thunberg: 'The show is over'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
The Greta photo that exposes the hollowness of Leftie activism
The picture of Greta Thunberg being offered a sandwich and a bottle of water by an IDF soldier is perfect. Here she is, smiling sheepishly, revealing the utter hollowness of her activism. That awkward moment when the Israel Defence Forces spoil your Instagram story. Thunberg and her fellow passengers aboard the MV Madleen, the boat which tried to run the naval blockade of Hamas-run Gaza, have been now taken into custody by the Israeli navy. No injuries are reported among the passengers, though some poor Israeli marine has probably had the 'How dare you!' treatment by now. Israel described the Madleen as a 'media provocation', but whatever images the activists hoped to come out of their voyage it was probably not Thunberg being given food and water by an Israeli soldier. It is an embarrassing end to a vanity mission for Thunberg, the climate change activist turned ego warrior who has adopted Palestine as her latest cause. 'There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip – they do not involve Instagram selfies,' the Israeli ministry of foreign affairs said. (Even more cattily, the ministry's statement referred to Thunberg and her chums as 'celebrities', enclosing the word in deliciously bitchy quotation marks.) Ah, but Thunberg meant well. It was an act of resistance, a show of solidarity, a sincere effort to get aid to a desperate civilian population. These excuses are somewhat undermined by the discovery on board of less than one truckload of aid, according to the Israeli authorities. For context, Israel sent 1,200 truckloads of aid into Gaza in the past fortnight in addition to the 11 million meals delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. While it's amusing to see HMS TikTok provoke the IDF into nothing more drastic than snack distribution and a free trip to Tel Aviv, no one should doubt the dangerous folly of Thunberg and her companions. However strongly they might feel about the current conflict in Gaza, attempting to break the maritime embargo was foolhardy. For one, that embargo is a lawful security measure which is in place for a reason. We know it's lawful because in 2011 a UN Secretary-General's Panel of Inquiry, the Palmer Report, concluded that it was 'a legitimate security measure in order to prevent weapons from entering Gaza by sea' and Israel's implementation of the blockade 'complied with the requirements of international law'. For another, the reason the Palmer Inquiry was established was the MV Mavi Marmara incident in 2010, which saw a Turkish-registered boat attempt to run the blockade in the name of getting aid to Gaza. When the IDF boarded that vessel, the soldiers came under attack from some of the passengers and opened fire, killing nine of the activists. This is not social media. This is real life. This is a war zone and the stakes are nothing less than life and death. It is worth recalling another finding from the Palmer Report: 'Although people are entitled to express their political views, the flotilla acted recklessly in attempting to breach the naval blockade.' To re-chart the Marmara's reckless course, in the knowledge that it concluded in blood and chaos, is impetuous vanity masquerading as humanitarian concern. Greta Thunberg should be grateful to the IDF for their care and professionalism in ensuring her publicity stunt ended in sandwiches and not fatalities. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
