Greta Thunberg Gaza flotilla – live: Aid ship reaches port after Israel vows to deport all activists on board
The Madleen boat has reached the Ashdod port in Israel after Israeli forces intercepted the Gaza-bound vessel off the coast of Egypt.
Israel has vowed to deport all 12 activists on board the Madleen, including climate activist Greta Thunberg.
The UK-flagged boat, which was carrying a symbolic amount of aid and intended to break Israel's naval blockade around Gaza, in place since 2007, was intercepted in the early hours of Monday morning.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which had organised the voyage, said the activists were 'kidnapped by Israeli forces' while trying to deliver desperately needed aid to the territory.
The Israeli foreign minstry said the passengers of the boat are currently undergoing medical examinations after arriving at Ashdod port.
Defence minister Israel Katz has dismissed the activists as engaged in a publicity stunt and said the vessel would be transported to the port of Ashdod.
Mr Katz said he had told the military to force the passengers to watch videos of the Hamas atrocities of 7 October upon arrival 'to see exactly who the terrorist organisation they came to support and for whom they work is'.
Watch | Greta Thunberg 'kidnapped by Israeli forces' in international waters while carrying aid for Gaza
Jabed Ahmed10 June 2025 04:00
An 18-year blockade
Israel and Egypt have imposed varying degrees of a 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 off Gaza from all aid in the early days of the war ignited by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, but later relented under US pressure.
In early March, shortly before Israel ended a ceasefire with Hamas, the country again blocked all imports, including food, fuel and medicine.
Jabed Ahmed10 June 2025 03:00
Why was the Madleen sailing to Gaza?
The 12-person Madleen set sail for Gaza eight days ago from the port of Catania in Sicily.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), responsible for the boat, said the trip aimed 'to break Israel's more than 17-year illegal and inhumane blockade of the Gaza Strip'.
The ship's location was being monitored live by Forensic Architecture using a Garmin live tracker on board before that tracker was switched off when Israel intercepted the vessel.
Speaking aboard the Madleen last week, Ms Thunberg told Middle East Eye: 'We have promised ourselves and we have promised the Palestinian people to do everything we can.
'When our governments are failing us … then it falls on us to step up and be the adults in the room.
'We are just human beings, very concerned about what's happening, and do not accept what is going on.'
Jabed Ahmed10 June 2025 02:00
ICYMI | Convoy sets off for Gaza from North Africa to protest Israel's blockade
A convoy of buses and private cars have departed from Tunisia to Gaza as part of efforts to spotlight Israel's blockade on humanitarian aid to the territory.
The overland effort — organized independently but moved up to coincide with the flotilla — is made up of activists, lawyers and medical professionals from North Africa.
It plans to traverse Tunisia, Libya and Egypt before reaching Rafah, the border crossing with Egypt that has remained largely closed since Israel's military took control of the Gaza side in May 2024.
The Tunisian civil society groups behind the convoy said their aim is to demand 'the immediate lifting of the unjust siege on the strip.'
They said that Arab governments haven't pushed enough to end the 20-month war between Israel and Hamas.
"This convoy speaks directly to our people in Gaza and says, 'You are not alone. We share your pain and suffering,'" Yahia Sarri, one of the convoy's Algerian organizers, wrote on social media.
The North African activists do not expect their convoy to be allowed into Gaza. Regardless, it provides 'a message of challenge and will,' said Saher al-Masri, a Tunis-based Palestinian activist.
Jabed Ahmed10 June 2025 01:00
Watch | Israel reveals tunnel under Gaza hospital 'where body of Hamas chief was found'
Israel reveals tunnel under Gaza hospital 'where body of Hamas chief was found'
Israel has released footage of an underground tunnel beneath a hospital in Gaza where it claims it found the body of Mohammed Sinwar, the military leader of Hamas. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) shared a clip of the bunker online, stating that it was further proof that Hamas 'hides behind their civilians and purposely embed themselves in civilian areas, such as hospitals'. Footage shows the sprawling infrastructure which consists of a long corridor and several rooms where the IDF claims to have found Sinwar's body on Sunday (8 June). Israel said Sinwar was killed in a targeted air strike on 13 May, which the Hamas-run civil defence agency said killed 28 people and injured dozens. Hamas has not confirmed his death.
Jabed Ahmed9 June 2025 23:59
Bulletin | Greta Thunberg forced to watch October 7 footage after Israeli forces seize aid boat
Greta Thunberg forced to watch October 7 footage after Israeli forces seize aid boat
Jabed Ahmed9 June 2025 22:59
How many times have sailors tried to break Israel's naval blockade on Gaza?
There have been at least eleven occasions when Israel has intercepted activists or pro-Palestinian militants attempting to break its blockade on Gaza, we can report.
Israel's blockade on Gaza has been in place since late 2007.
The most significant incident happened in May 2010, when a six-boat flotilla was intercepted by the Israeli navy around 90 miles from Gaza. Nine people were killed after Israeli commandos opened fire on activists, having boarded the flagship vessel, the Mavi Marmara, Israel claims the activists began attacking the soldiers first. Neither account has been confirmed.
There were additional, major attempts by activists in July 2011, June 2015 and August 2018. The vessels were all boarded without incident by Israeli forces. Like the Madleen, several were taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod.
Several smaller efforts were also intercepted by Israel, largely in the two years between 2009 and 2011.
In March 2011, the Israelis intercepted a freighter called the Victoria in the Mediterranean with 50 tonnes of concealed weapons allegedly bound for Gaza.
Last month, two drones hit another vessel destined for Gaza while it was off the coast of Malta. It was run by the same organisation that manages the Madleen, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. The FFC claimed those drones were Israeli. Israel declined to comment.
Jabed Ahmed9 June 2025 22:14
Watch | Israel reveals tunnel under Gaza hospital 'body of Hamas military chief was found'
Jabed Ahmed9 June 2025 21:44
An 18-year blockade
Israel and Egypt have imposed varying degrees of a 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 off Gaza from all aid in the early days of the war ignited by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, but later relented under US pressure.
In early March, shortly before Israel ended a ceasefire with Hamas, the country again blocked all imports, including food, fuel and medicine.
Jabed Ahmed9 June 2025 21:14
Trump: Thunberg needs anger management classses
US president Donald Trump has said he thinks activist Greta Thunberg is a 'strange person'.
Speaking to reporters in the White House, he said: "Well, she's a strange person. She's a young, angry person. I don't know if it's real anger. It's hard to believe, actually, but I saw what happened. She's certainly different...anger management. I think she has to go to anger management class. That's my primary recommendation for her.'
Jabed Ahmed
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
30 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Greta Thunberg deported from Israel after Gaza-bound aid ship seized
In a post on X, Israel's Foreign Ministry shared a photo of Ms Thunberg on a plane, saying that she was heading for France before continuing to Sweden. Adalah, a legal rights group in Israel representing Ms Thunberg and the other activists, said the Swede, two other campaigners and a journalist had agreed to be deported. Other activists refused deportation, were being held in detention and their case was set to be heard by Israeli authorities. Greta Thunberg just departed Israel on a flight to Sweden (via France). — Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) June 10, 2025 Ms Thunberg was one of 12 passengers on board the Madleen, a boat carrying aid destined for people in war-torn Gaza. Israeli naval forces seized the boat early on Monday about 125 miles off Gaza's coast, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the group that organised the journey. The boat, accompanied by Israel's navy, arrived in the Israeli port of Ashdod on Monday evening. The activists said they were protesting against the ongoing war and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Israel says such ships violate its naval blockade of Gaza. Israel's Foreign Ministry portrayed the voyage as a public relations stunt, saying on social media that 'the 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities' is safely making its way to the shores of Israel'. Sabine Haddad, a spokeswoman for Israel's Interior Ministry, said the activists who were being deported on Tuesday had waived their right to appear before a judge. Those who did not will face one and will be held for 96 hours before being deported. People wave the Palestinian flag and hold signs in support of Greta Thunberg (Leo Correa/AP) Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent, was among the volunteers on board. She has been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies toward the Palestinians. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Tuesday that one of the detained French activists signed an expulsion order and will leave Israel on Tuesday for France. The other five refused. He said all the activists received consular visits. Adalah said that Israel had 'no legal authority' to take over the ship because the group said it was in international waters and it was headed not to Israel but to the 'territorial waters of the state of Palestine'. Amnesty International said Israel was flouting international law with the naval raid and called on Israel to release the activists immediately and unconditionally. '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.
The Guardian
30 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Foreign Office staff told to consider resigning after challenging UK policy on Gaza
More than 300 Foreign Office staff have been told to consider resigning after they wrote a letter complaining they feared it had become complicit in Israel's alleged war crimes in Gaza. It is the fourth such internal letter from staff about the offensive in Gaza, which started in October 2023 in response to Hamas's deadly attack on Israel. In their letter of 16 May the staff, from embassies around the world and at various levels of seniority, questioned the UK's continued arms sales and what they called Israel's 'stark … disregard for international law'. The Foreign Office said it had systems for staff to raise concerns and added the government had 'rigorously applied international law' in relation to the war in Gaza. The reply to the letter was sent by the permanent under-secretary, Oliver Robbins, and Nick Dyer, the second most senior civil servant in the Foreign Office. They told the signatories: '[I]f your disagreement with any aspect of government policy or action is profound, your ultimate recourse is to resign from the civil service. This is an honourable course.' The reply did not address the substantive complaints by staff. The letter, first reported by the BBC, said: 'In July 2024, staff expressed concern about Israel's violations of international humanitarian law and potential UK government complicity. In the intervening period, the reality of Israel's disregard for international law has become more stark.' It went on to list the killing by Israeli forces of 15 humanitarian workers in March and Israel's suspension of all aid to Gaza in the same month 'leading many experts and humanitarian organisations to accuse Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war'. It said the UK government's position had contributed to 'the erosion of global norms', citing continued weapons exports and the visit to London in April by Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Sa'ar, 'despite concerns about violations of international law'. The Foreign Office described Sa'ar's visit as private, even though he met the foreign secretary, David Lammy. The staff letter added that 'supported by the Trump administration, the Israeli government has made explicit plans for the forcible transfer of Gaza's population'. In response, Robbins and Dyer said the department welcomed 'healthy challenge' as part of the policymaking process and had already set up a 'bespoke Challenge Board' and regular listening sessions with employees to hear concerns in this policy area. They wrote that staff were entitled to their personal views, but added it 'might be helpful' to 'remind' them of mechanisms available to those uncomfortable with policy. It went on to list a series of ways staff could raise issues, before adding that resignation was an 'ultimate recourse' and 'honourable course' for those with profound disagreements over government policy. '[T]he bargain at the heart of the British civil service is that we sign up to deliver the policies of the government of the day wholeheartedly, within the limits imposed by the law and the civil service code,' it said. The UK government's position is that Israel is 'at risk' of breaching humanitarian law, the threshold for barring arms exports, but says it is for international courts to determine if breaches of international law have occurred, which will not be fully determined for many years. Senior foreign office ministers are due to be challenged in the business select committee over why the government is continuing to sell parts and components to the F-35 programme without placing a condition that the parts are not sent on to Israel. The UK is not selling directly to Israel, and claims it has no option but to supply the parts or see the whole F-35 programme grind to a halt, affecting Nato operations defending Europe. The carve-out of F-35s from the ban on UK arms being sold to Israel, imposed in September, is being tested in the high court by the NGOs Global Legal Action Network and Al-Haq. The Foreign Office in its court submissions, likely to be the subject of cross-examination by the business committee, said it had determined Israel was not committing a genocide in Gaza, which appears to contradict the stance that only the UK courts can make such a ruling. It also said it could not take a position on specific attacks by Israel since it did not have definitive evidence. In September, Lammy announced the suspension of about 30 arms exports licences to Israel, and said the remaining licences were not relevant to the war in Gaza – although the government admits some of the licences allow exports to the Israel Defence Forces. Israel has consistently denied committing war crimes in Gaza, saying its actions are proportionate and necessary to eradicate Hamas, which it says uses hospitals and school premises to protect itself. The former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has gathered the names of 50 MPs backing his call for an independent public inquiry into UK involvement in military operations in Gaza. Corbyn has been among MPs pressing ministers to explain why RAF jets from the UK base in Akrotiri in Cyprus fly regularly over Gaza. More than 300 surveillance flights have been recorded, allegedly in search of Hamas-held hostages. Questions are also being asked if Israel acted lawfully by intercepting the ship Madleen in international waters, containing Greta Thunberg and 11 other campaigners seeking to highlight the blockade of food into Gaza. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition , the group operating the UK-flagged Madleen, said all 12 campaigners were 'being processed and transferred into the custody of Israeli authorities'. The Foreign Office has not commented.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Greta Thunberg flown home from Israel after 'refusing to watch October 7 video'
Greta Thunberg has been pictured on a plane as she left Israel after being detained along with other activists onboard the Madleen which was heading for Gaza. The aid boat carrying Thunberg and other activists arrived at an Israeli port Monday after the country's forces stopped and detained them — enforcing a longstanding blockade of the Palestinian territory that has been tightened during the Israel-Hamas war. It is claimed that she and other activisits refused to watch footage of Hamas atrocities carried out on October 7, 2023 in Israel. Eight of the 12 activists refused to sign deportation papers and are still being detained in Israel, but Thunberg and three others agreed to sign the documents. The Madleen, accompanied by Israel's navy, had arrived in the Israeli port of Ashdod on Monday evening, according to Israel's Foreign Ministry. It published a photo on social media of Thunberg after disembarking. , , , , or visit homepage.
