Israeli military board Thunberg's Gaza-bound ship
Israeli military board Thunberg's Gaza-bound ship
Activist Greta Thunberg and crew stand aboard the aid ship Madleen, which left the Italian port of Catania on June 1. File photo: Reuters
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition said early on Monday that the Israeli military had "boarded" the Gaza-bound charity ship the Madleen.
Connections have been lost on the ship, the coalition added in a post on Telegram.
Earlier, the Israeli foreign ministry said its navy was communicating with the Madleen, instructing it to change its course as it approached a restricted area.
The ministry referred to the ship as "selfie yacht" in a post on X.
Before the Coalition lost contact with its vessel, it said quadcopters were surrounding the Madleen and spraying it with a 'white irritant substance'.
Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz told the military on Sunday to stop the charity boat, which is carrying activists - including Sweden's Greta Thunberg - planning to defy an Israeli blockade and reach Gaza.
The British-flagged Madleen yacht set sail from Sicily on June 6.
"I instructed the IDF to act so that the Madleen... does not reach Gaza," Katz said in a statement.
"To the antisemitic Greta and her Hamas-propaganda-spouting friends, I say clearly: You'd better turn back, because you will not reach Gaza."
Climate activist Thunberg said she joined the Madleen crew to "challenge Israel's illegal siege and escalating war crimes" in Gaza and highlight the urgent need for humanitarian aid. She has rejected previous Israeli accusations of antisemitism.
Israel went to war with Hamas in October 2023 after the Islamist militants launched a surprise attack on southern Israel, killing more 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to the enclave, according to Israeli tallies.
More than 54,000 Palestinians have died during the ongoing Israeli assault, according to Gaza health authorities, with much of the Palestinian territory reduced to rubble.
The United Nations has warned that most of Gaza's 2.3 million population is at risk of famine.
Katz said the blockade was essential to Israel's national security as it seeks to eliminate Hamas.
Besides Thunberg, there are 11 other crew members aboard, including Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament. (Reuters)
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