Israel will prevent Freedon Flotilla's Madleen reaching Gaza
Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday that Israel wouldn't allow anyone to break its naval blockade of the Palestinian territory, which he said was aimed at preventing Hamas from importing arms.
In a post on X Katz announced that he has instructed the Israeli Defence Force "to act to prevent the Madleen hate flotilla" from reaching the strip's coast: "You should turn back - because you will not reach Gaza."
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 as early as Sunday.
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 toward the Palestinians.
Also on board is "Game of Thrones" star Liam Cunningham.
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.
Israel denied the allegations.
Russian troops attacked Ukraine with almost 50 Shahed-type drones, as well as UAVs, on Sunday night.
In addition, an Onyx anti-ship missile and two Kh-59/69 guided air missiles were launched at Ukrainian territory.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that they managed to neutralise 40 drones. The main areas of the strikes were the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions.
The day before, a number of Ukrainian cities became the target of Russian attacks. Kharkiv suffered the most, having been hit by several powerful strikes using kamikaze drones, guided aerial bombs and missiles. According to the National Police, 6 people were killed and dozens were injured in the Kharkiv region in 24 hours.
"There is a central park nearby, where people were relaxing, and the Children's Railway, where employees were," said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the regional administration, at the site of one of the strikes. "One woman died on the spot. At least three people were injured and are in critical condition."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned new Russian strikes, calling on international partners to "toughly coerce Russia to peace."
"Air bombs on civilians in the city - there is even a children's railway nearby," Zelensky wrote on social media. "This makes no military sense. Pure terrorism. And this has been going on for more than three years of a full-scale war. This cannot be ignored. We cannot turn a blind eye to this. And this is not some kind of game. Every day we lose our people only because Russia feels impunity. Russia needs tough coercion to peace."
In his evening address, the Ukrainian president said that these Russian strikes are not "in response" but to destroy.
Russian bombing of Ukrainian cities has increased after Kyiv "humiliated" the Kremlin with a surprise drone attack on military airfields deep in Russia. The escalation of hostilities has weakened hopes for a ceasefire in the war that has been going on for more than 3 years.
At the same time, the United States, according to Reuters, believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin's threat of retaliation against Ukraine for Operation Spider Web has not yet been fully implemented and will most likely be a significant multilateral strike. The agency cites the opinions of unnamed American officials.
One of them notes that "the timing of a full Russian response is unclear and that it is expected within days." Another believes that the response "will likely include various types of air capabilities, including missiles and drones."
Reuters also cites two Western diplomatic sources as suggesting. One believes "that while Russia's response may have already begun, it is likely to escalate with strikes on symbolic Ukrainian targets such as government buildings in an attempt to send a clear message to Kyiv."
Another senior Western diplomat predicts "a further devastating attack by Moscow" that "will be huge, brutal and merciless."
The agency also quotes Michael Kofman, a Russia expert at the Carnegie Endowment, as saying that "Moscow could try to punish the SBU" for its role in Operation Spider's Web and use medium-range ballistic missiles to attack or target Ukrainian defence manufacturing centres.
However, the expert believes that "Russia's ability to significantly strengthen its retaliatory strike may be limited."
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