
Israel threatens to block arrival of activist ship Madleen in Gaza
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has ordered the military not to allow a sailing ship carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists to enter the Gaza Strip.
'Israel will not allow anyone to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip,' Katz said in a statement on X.
He said he had ordered the armed forces to prevent the arrival of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition's ship Madleen.
Addressing Thunberg and the 11 other activists on board, Katz said: 'You should turn back because you will not reach Gaza.'
The defence minister described the ship's crew as 'left-wing extremist activists.'He emphasized that the naval blockade of Gaza was introduced in 2007 after the Palestinian Hamas came to power.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition says it wants to bring relief supplies, including baby food and medical supplies, to the desperate people in the devastated Gaza Strip, and has repeatedly emphasised that there are no weapons on board.
The activists also want to draw international attention to the humanitarian situation on the ground.
The Madleen set sail from Sicily a week ago and aims to reach the coast on Monday.
On Sunday afternoon, the ship was less than 300 kilometres from its destination, north of the Egyptian coast.
In videos posted on Instagram, the group has accused Israel of jamming its communication devices in order to intercept the ship or even prepare an attack. (DPA)
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Qatar Tribune
2 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Israel deports 4 from intercepted Gaza-bound Madleen; others held
Israel has deported Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and three others, a day after seizing the Gaza-bound humanitarian aid ship on which she was sailing in a crew of 12. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thunberg flew out of Tel Aviv early on Tuesday, bound for Sweden via France, and released her photos on the flight. Upon arriving in Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport, Thunberg told reporters she and her companions had been 'kidnapped in international waters'. Al Jazeera's Natacha Butler, who was among the journalists interviewing Thunberg at the Paris airport, said, 'She clearly looked very tired and was in the same clothes she was wearing when she was detained … This has been quite a difficult number of hours for her.' While Thunberg said she was 'OK', she described being treated in a 'dehumanising way' by Israeli authorities, said Butler. However, she emphasised that her brief detention was nothing compared with what Palestinians regularly endure under Israeli occupation, Butler added. According to the legal rights group Adalah, which is representing Thunberg and the other activists and a journalist who sailed in the Madleen vessel towards Gaza, she was among four crew members who accepted deportation. The remaining crew members will remain in Israeli custody before appearing before judicial authorities. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said five of those subject to forced deportation proceedings are French nationals who have received consular support. One of them is French Member of European Parliament Rima Hassan, who refused to sign a document stating she had entered Israeli territory illegally, according to French lawmaker Clemence Guette. Large rallies have taken place in France and other countries to protest against Israel's interception of the Madleen and the crew's detention. It was carrying humanitarian aid, including rice and baby formula, to Gaza, in a bid to raise awareness about the dire humanitarian crisis in the enclave. On Tuesday, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition confirmed the status of those who were aboard the Madleen. (Agencies)


Qatar Tribune
2 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Poland's PM Tusk survives confidence vote after presidential setback
WarsawcTypeface:> Poland's pro-European government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk survived a vote of confidence in parliament on Wednesday by a margin of 243 votes to 210. Following the result, members of the ruling coalition broke into chants of 'Donald Tusk, Donald Tusk' on the parliamentary floor. Tusk called the confidence vote in the wake of his camp's defeat in the June 1 run-off presidential election. Liberal candidate Rafat Trzaskowski, a close ally of Tusk, narrowly lost to conservative Karol Nawrocki, who was backed by the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party. The loss dealt a blow to Tusk's leadership. In a defiant speech ahead of the vote, Tusk struck a combative tone: 'I know the taste of victory and the bitterness of defeat, but there is one word I do not know: surrender.' (DPA)


Qatar Tribune
2 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Philippines-Qatar ties spanmultiple sectors: Envoy
Ashraf Siddiqui Doha The Philippines engagements with Qatari friends and partners cut across a wide range of issues and sectors, providing depth to the robust bilateral relations between Manila and Doha, Ambassador of Philippines to Qatar HE Mardomel Celo D Melicor has said. He added that the Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani's historic state visit to the Philippines in 2024, the recent political consultation meeting in Manila in May 2025, and other joint engagements on issues that cover labour, economic, transport and cultural relations, point to greater things ahead as 'we are set to celebrate 45 years of formal diplomatic relations between the two friendly nations next year.' The Philippines envoy was speaking on the occasion of 127th anniversary of declaration of independence celebrations reception hosted by him on Wednesday. Present on the occasion were Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs HE Ibrahim bin Ali bin Issa Al Hassan Al Mohannadi, Director of the Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Ambassador Ibrahim Yousif Abdullah Fakhro, HE Mohamed Bahrin Paduka Haji Abu Bakar, dean of Asean Ambassadors group and ambassador of Brunei, dignitaries, members of the diplomatic corp and guests. Ambassador Melicor said that on the multilateral front, the Philippines continues to play its role as a responsible, trusted, and reliable actor in an increasingly complex and globalising world, one where a rules-based international order is held paramount. 'As a maritime and archipelagic country, the Philippines believes that maritime governance, based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS, is an area of common action. As such, we continue to assert the rule of law and strengthen partnerships to ensure that Philippine sovereignty is preserved in its waters, and that peace at sea and freedom of navigation are guaranteed,' he said. He added, 'With respect to the crisis in the Middle East region, we remain committed to supporting multilateral efforts aimed at achieving a peaceful resolution to the war in Gaza. The Philippines calls for the full, safe, rapid, and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian civilian population throughout the Gaza Strip. 'We believe that the provision of humanitarian assistance must remain under the leadership of the United Nations and other internationally mandated actors, based on impartial needs assessments and guided by the principles of neutrality and humanity. Along this line, I am pleased to inform you that last year, in firm solidarity with the Palestinian people, the Philippines doubled its voluntary annual financial contribution to UNRWA to support the agency's critical life-saving work.' Local Philippines schoolchildren engaged and attracted the guests with their skilled performances.