Gaza-bound aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg reaches Israeli port
GAZA: A Gaza-bound aid boat reached Israel's Ashdod port on Monday (Jun 9) after being intercepted by Israeli forces, preventing the dozen activists on board including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg from reaching the blockaded Palestinian territory.
An AFP photographer said that the Madleen, which organisers said was intercepted in international waters overnight, reached the port north of Gaza at around 8.45 pm local time escorted by the Israeli navy.
The Madleen set sail from Italy on Jun 1 to raise awareness of food shortages in the Gaza Strip, which the United Nations has called the "hungriest place on Earth".
After more than 20 months of war, triggered by Palestinian militant group Hamas's Oct 7, 2023 attack on Israel, the UN has warned that Gaza's entire population is at risk of famine.
At around 4.02am on Monday, Israeli troops "forcibly intercepted" the vessel as it approached Gaza, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said.
"If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped," Thunberg said in pre-recorded footage shared by the coalition.
Video from the group shows the activists with their hands up as Israeli forces boarded the vessel, with one of them saying nobody was injured prior to the interception.
Israel's foreign ministry, in a post on social media, said "all the passengers of the 'selfie yacht' are safe and unharmed", adding it expected the activists to return to their home countries.
Türkiye condemned the interception as a "heinous attack" and Iran denounced it as "a form of piracy" in international waters.
In May, another Freedom Flotilla ship, the Conscience, reported it was struck by drones in an attack the group blamed on Israel. In 2010, an Israeli commando raid on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, which was part of a similar attempt to breach the naval blockade, left 10 civilians dead.
On Sunday, Defence Minister Israel Katz said the blockade, in place for years before the Israel-Hamas war, was needed to prevent Palestinian militants from importing weapons.
JOURNALISTS ON BOARD
The Madleen was intercepted about 185 kilometres west of the coast of Gaza, according to coordinates from the coalition.
President Emmanuel Macron requested that the six French nationals aboard the boat "be allowed to return to France as soon as possible", a presidential official said.
Two of them are journalists, Omar Fayyad of Qatar-based Al Jazeera and Yanis Mhamdi, who works for online publication Blast, according to media rights group Reporters Without Borders, which condemned their detention and called for their "immediate release".
Al Jazeera "categorically denounces the Israeli incursion", the network said in a statement, demanding the reporter's release.
Adalah, an Israeli NGO offering legal support for the country's Arab minority, said the activists on board the Madleen had requested its services, and that the group was likely to be taken to a detention centre before being deported.
Israel is facing mounting pressure to allow more aid into Gaza to alleviate widespread shortages of food and basic supplies.
In what organisers called a "symbolic act", hundreds of people launched a land convoy on Monday from Tunisia with the aim of reaching Gaza.
"OUR CHILDREN ARE DYING"
Israel recently allowed some deliveries to resume after barring them for more than two months and began working with the newly formed, US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
But humanitarian agencies have criticised the GHF and the United Nations refuses to work with it, citing concerns over its practices and neutrality.
Dozens of people have been killed near GHF distribution points since late May, according to Gaza's civil defence agency.
In Gaza City on Monday, displaced Palestinian Umm Mohammed Abu Namous told AFP that she hopes "that all nations stand with us and help us, and that we receive 10 boats instead of one".
"We are innocent people," she said. "Our children are dying of hunger ... We do not want to lose more children because of hunger."
The Hamas attack that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says at least 54,880 people, the majority civilians, have been killed in the territory since the start of the war. The UN considers these figures reliable.
Out of 251 taken hostage during the Hamas attack, 54 are still held in Gaza, including 32 the Israeli military says, are dead.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Trump says Iran is involved in Gaza hostage negotiations
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an Invest America Roundtable in the State Dining room, at the White House, in Washington, U.S., June 9, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday Iran is involved in negotiations aimed at arranging a ceasefire-for-hostages deal between Israel and Hamas. "Gaza right now is in the midst of a massive negotiation between us and Hamas and Israel, and Iran actually is involved, and we'll see what's going to happen with Gaza. We want to get the hostages back," Trump told reporters during an event in the White House State Dining Room. Trump did not elaborate and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for details of Iran's involvement. Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The United States has proposed a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Israel said it would abide by the terms but Hamas thus far has rejected the plan. Under the proposal 28 Israeli hostages - alive and dead - would be released in the first week, in exchange for the release of 1,236 Palestinian prisoners and the remains of 180 dead Palestinians. The United States and Iran are also separately trying to negotiate a deal on Tehran's nuclear program. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Israel kills three rescuers, journalist in strikes on Gaza city, Palestinian media report
CAIRO - Israel killed three medical services staff and a journalist during strikes on Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City, Palestinian media including Hamas-linked Shehab news agency said on Monday. The three rescuers were killed while working to save wounded people and recover dead bodies in the neighborhood, Shehab said. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It said earlier that its forces continued to operate against what it deemed "terrorist organizations" throughout the Gaza strip. Hamas-led militants took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, in an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. In response, Israel's offensive has since killed more than 54,927 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the heavily built-up coastal territory. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
5 hours ago
- CNA
Gaza-bound aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg reaches Israeli port
GAZA: A Gaza-bound aid boat reached Israel's Ashdod port on Monday (Jun 9) after being intercepted by Israeli forces, preventing the dozen activists on board including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg from reaching the blockaded Palestinian territory. An AFP photographer said that the Madleen, which organisers said was intercepted in international waters overnight, reached the port north of Gaza at around 8.45 pm local time escorted by the Israeli navy. The Madleen set sail from Italy on Jun 1 to raise awareness of food shortages in the Gaza Strip, which the United Nations has called the "hungriest place on Earth". After more than 20 months of war, triggered by Palestinian militant group Hamas's Oct 7, 2023 attack on Israel, the UN has warned that Gaza's entire population is at risk of famine. At around 4.02am on Monday, Israeli troops "forcibly intercepted" the vessel as it approached Gaza, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said. "If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped," Thunberg said in pre-recorded footage shared by the coalition. Video from the group shows the activists with their hands up as Israeli forces boarded the vessel, with one of them saying nobody was injured prior to the interception. Israel's foreign ministry, in a post on social media, said "all the passengers of the 'selfie yacht' are safe and unharmed", adding it expected the activists to return to their home countries. Türkiye condemned the interception as a "heinous attack" and Iran denounced it as "a form of piracy" in international waters. In May, another Freedom Flotilla ship, the Conscience, reported it was struck by drones in an attack the group blamed on Israel. In 2010, an Israeli commando raid on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, which was part of a similar attempt to breach the naval blockade, left 10 civilians dead. On Sunday, Defence Minister Israel Katz said the blockade, in place for years before the Israel-Hamas war, was needed to prevent Palestinian militants from importing weapons. JOURNALISTS ON BOARD The Madleen was intercepted about 185 kilometres west of the coast of Gaza, according to coordinates from the coalition. President Emmanuel Macron requested that the six French nationals aboard the boat "be allowed to return to France as soon as possible", a presidential official said. Two of them are journalists, Omar Fayyad of Qatar-based Al Jazeera and Yanis Mhamdi, who works for online publication Blast, according to media rights group Reporters Without Borders, which condemned their detention and called for their "immediate release". Al Jazeera "categorically denounces the Israeli incursion", the network said in a statement, demanding the reporter's release. Adalah, an Israeli NGO offering legal support for the country's Arab minority, said the activists on board the Madleen had requested its services, and that the group was likely to be taken to a detention centre before being deported. Israel is facing mounting pressure to allow more aid into Gaza to alleviate widespread shortages of food and basic supplies. In what organisers called a "symbolic act", hundreds of people launched a land convoy on Monday from Tunisia with the aim of reaching Gaza. "OUR CHILDREN ARE DYING" Israel recently allowed some deliveries to resume after barring them for more than two months and began working with the newly formed, US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. But humanitarian agencies have criticised the GHF and the United Nations refuses to work with it, citing concerns over its practices and neutrality. Dozens of people have been killed near GHF distribution points since late May, according to Gaza's civil defence agency. In Gaza City on Monday, displaced Palestinian Umm Mohammed Abu Namous told AFP that she hopes "that all nations stand with us and help us, and that we receive 10 boats instead of one". "We are innocent people," she said. "Our children are dying of hunger ... We do not want to lose more children because of hunger." The Hamas attack that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says at least 54,880 people, the majority civilians, have been killed in the territory since the start of the war. The UN considers these figures reliable. Out of 251 taken hostage during the Hamas attack, 54 are still held in Gaza, including 32 the Israeli military says, are dead.
