Israel vows to prevent an aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists from reaching Gaza
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel's defense minister has vowed to prevent an aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists from reaching the Gaza Strip.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said 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.
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Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Israel to block arrival of activist ship carrying Thunberg 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 Islamist Hamas came to power, and aims to prevent weapons from being delivered to the militant group. 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 emphasized 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. Israel has also refused to grant activists permission to dock their ships in the Gaza Strip in previous cases. Israeli media had previously reported that the ship would not be allowed to dock in the Gaza Strip, citing security authorities. According to the reports, it is possible that the Madleen could be towed to the Israeli port of Ashdod and the activists on board arrested there. Last week, the UN said increasing numbers of Palestinians were "vulnerable to starvation," with daily energy intake well below what a human body needs to survive, even after Israel eased its blockade on aid deliveries to the sealed-off territory the previous week.
Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
Israel vows to prevent an aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists from reaching Gaza
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel's government on Sunday vowed to prevent an aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists from reaching the Gaza Strip. Defense Minister Israel Katz said 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. 'To the antisemitic Greta and her fellow Hamas propagandists — I will say this clearly: You should turn back, because you will not make it to Gaza,' he said in a statement. Thunberg, a climate campaigner, 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 20 months into the Israel-Hamas war. The activists had said they planned to reach Gaza's territorial waters as early as Sunday. Thiago Ávila, a Brazilian activist on board the boat, posted a video on social media Sunday afternoon saying someone appeared to be jamming their tracking and communication devices about 160 nautical miles from Gaza. Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent, is among the others on board. She has been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies toward the Palestinians. After a 2½-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 is lifted and Israel ends its military offensive. 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 and Egypt have imposed varying degrees of blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007. Critics of the blockade say it amounts to collective punishment of Gaza's roughly 2 million Palestinians. Israel sealed Gaza off from all aid in the early days of the war ignited by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, but later relented under U.S. pressure. In early March, shortly before Israel ended a ceasefire with Hamas, the country again blocked all imports, including food, fuel and medicine. Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and abducted 251 hostages, more than half of whom have since been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Hamas is still holding 55 hostages, more than half of them believed to be dead. Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which has said women and children make up most of the dead. It doesn't say whether those killed are civilians or combatants. The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced around 90% of the territory's population, leaving people there almost completely dependent on international aid. Associated Press
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Israel orders military to stop Greta Thunberg's boat
Israel has ordered its military to stop Greta Thunberg's aid boat from reaching the Gaza Strip. Israel Katz, the Israeli defence minister, vowed to 'take whatever measures necessary' to stop the vessel docking in the war-ravaged territory. 'You should turn back – because you will not reach Gaza,' Mr Katz said, addressing the 22-year-old climate campaigner directly, and describing her and her companions as 'the anti-Semitic Greta and her fellow Hamas propaganda spokespeople'. He went on: 'I have instructed the IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) to act so that the 'Madeleine' hate flotilla does not reach the shores of Gaza – and to take any means necessary to that end. 'Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade or assist terrorist organisations – at sea, in the air and on land.' Ms Thunberg is one of a dozen activists aboard the Madleen sailboat, which left Sicily last Sunday carrying food and medical supplies with the aim of breaking Israel's sea blockade of Gaza. The group of activists said they were hoping to reach Gazan waters as early as today in order to deliver aid to Palestinians. Speaking to CNN from the Madleen on Saturday, Ms Thunberg said she knew the 'mission' was risky and that she could be attacked or even killed. 'None of those risks are even remotely as high as the risks Palestinians are facing every day just by trying to survive,' she said. 'Right now, the mission is to get to Gaza to distribute the humanitarian aid we are carrying but we are well aware of the risks going there.' She added: 'We are sailing on international waters and bringing humanitarian aid. If [Israel] stops this humanitarian aid, that is a crime. We are not doing anything wrong here…we are doing our part to try to break the siege in Gaza.' Ms Thunberg is one of 12 activists on the trip. Others include Thiago Avila, a Brazilian campaigner, and Rima Hassan, a French-Palestinian member of the European Parliament. The sailing boat is operated by the activist group Freedom Flotilla Coalition. The Telegraph has contacted the group for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
