Seized Gaza aid boat Madleen carrying Greta Thunberg taken to Israeli port
A Gaza-bound aid boat illegally seized in international waters by Israeli forces has been towed into Ashdod Port, with the dozen international activists who were on board now facing detention and deportation.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which launched the ship to draw international attention to the looming famine in besieged Gaza, said it was captured at about 4:02am (01:02 GMT) on Monday, about 200km (120 miles) from Gaza, arriving at Ashdod as night fell.
Earlier, the coalition released a video from the vessel, which left Sicily on June 1, showing the activists – among whom are climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and French member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan – with their hands up as Israeli forces boarded the vessel and 'kidnapped' them.
Adalah, a Palestinian legal centre representing the activists, said they were expected to be held at a detention facility before being deported.
It said that Israel had 'no legal authority' to take over the ship, which was in international waters, heading not to Israel but to the 'territorial waters of the State of Palestine'.
The arrests of the 12 'unarmed activists' amounted to 'a serious breach of international law', it said in a statement.
Huwaida Arraf, an FFC organiser, told Al Jazeera there had been no contact with the activists since they had been detained in the early hours of Monday.
'We have lawyers on standby who are going to demand they have access to them tonight – as soon as possible,' she said.
The Madleen, she noted, was sailing under a United Kingdom flag when it was forcibly seized by Israeli commandos.
'So Israel went into international waters and attacked sovereign UK territory, which is blatantly unlawful. And we expect strong condemnation, which we have not yet heard from the United Kingdom,' she said.The UK government urged Israel to handle its detention of the activists 'safely with restraint, in line with international humanitarian law'.
'We have made clear our position in relation to the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The PM has called it appalling and intolerable,' said a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territory, said: 'Israel has absolutely no authority to intercept and stop a boat like this, which carries humanitarian aid, and more than everything else, humanity, to the people of Gaza.'
Al Jazeera's Nour Odeh, reporting from Jordan's capital Amman, said the activists would be accused of entering Israel illegally.
'These activists had no intention to enter Israel. They wanted to reach the shores of Gaza, which are not part of Israel,' she said.
'But that is how they will be processed, and they will be deported because of that.'Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs portrayed the voyage as a public relations stunt, saying in a post on X that 'the 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities' is safely making its way to the shores of Israel'.
It said the passengers were 'undergoing medical examinations to ensure they are in good health', adding that all passengers were expected to return to their home countries.
Government spokesperson David Mencer reserved special scorn for 22-year-old Thunberg. 'Greta was not bringing aid, she was bringing herself. And she's not here for Gaza, let's be blunt about it. She's here for Greta,' he said.
In a prerecorded video message that was shared by the FFC, Thunberg said: 'I urge all my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible.'
The Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs said it was in contact with Israeli authorities.
'Should the need for consular support arise, the Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will assess how we can best help the Swedish citizen/Greta Thunberg resolve her situation,' said a spokesperson in a written statement to the Reuters news agency.
United States President Donald Trump, who targeted Thunberg in 2019, dismissed her statement. 'I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg,' he said.
French President Emmanuel Macron's office said the president had asked Israeli authorities to release the six French nationals on board as soon as possible, calling the humanitarian blockade of Gaza 'a scandal' and a 'disgrace'.
Turkey condemned the interception as a 'heinous attack', while Iran denounced it as 'a form of piracy' in international waters.
Israeli Minister of Defence Israel Katz said the activists would be shown videos of atrocities committed during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel.
Hamas condemned the seizure of the boat as 'state terrorism' and said it saluted its activists.
On the ground in Gaza, Israeli forces continued their onslaught, killing 60 Palestinians since dawn, according to medical sources who spoke to Al Jazeera.
Among them were three medics, killed in Gaza City, as well as 13 hungry aid seekers, killed near an Israeli- and US-backed aid distribution site in southern Gaza.
More than 130 people have been killed near distribution points run by the shadowy Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) since late May.
Israel engaged the group to distribute aid amid its total blockade on all imports, including food, fuel and medicine, as Israel ramped up its offensive after breaking its ceasefire agreement with Hamas in March.The United Nations and other aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF, accusing it of lacking neutrality and suggesting the group has been formed to enable Israel to achieve its stated military objective of taking over all of Gaza.
'Israeli authorities have blocked the delivery of safe and dignified aid at scale to the people of Gaza for over three months now,' said the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, on Monday.
'We are not asking for the impossible. Allow us to do our work: assist people in need and preserve their dignity,' it said.
On Monday, Israeli aircraft also bombed tents sheltering displaced families in al-Katiba square in Gaza City, causing additional deaths and injuries.
They also targeted the Shaarawi and Haddad buildings in the Tuffah neighbourhood, east of Gaza City, resulting in multiple casualties.
At least one person was killed and others injured in an artillery attack on Old Gaza Street in Jabalia, in the north.
Israel has killed at least 54,927 people in Gaza since the start of the war, a figure estimated to be far lower than the actual death toll.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
35 minutes ago
- Newsweek
75 Democrats Express 'Gratitude' to ICE in Antisemitism Vote Amid LA Unrest
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Seventy-five Democrats broke ranks on Monday, joining Republicans in voting for a House resolution condemning antisemitism and expressing "gratitude" for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other law enforcement personnel. Why It Matters Monday's vote comes as Los Angeles is reeling from days of political unrest after ICE raided several downtown city neighborhoods and arrested more than 50 people. The arrests are part of the Trump administration's broader crackdown on undocumented migrants, which has also swept up people who are legally permitted to be in the United States. President Donald Trump has deployed 4,000 National Guard troops to L.A. since the protests started unfolding and has also mobilized 700 Marines to respond if the strife escalates. What To Know Monday's resolution condemned this month's antisemitic attack in Boulder, Colorado, in which the suspect, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, faces 118 criminal charges, accused of targeting a march calling for the return of Israeli hostages in Gaza. The resolution also "affirms that free and open communication between State and local law enforcement and their Federal counterparts remains the bedrock of public safety and is necessary in preventing terrorist attacks; and expresses gratitude to law enforcement officers, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel, for protecting the homeland." Of the 212 Democrats in the House, 113 voted against the resolution, which was introduced by Republican Representative Gabe Evans. Seventy-five Democrats voted in favor of the measure, including Representative Joe Neguse, who represents the district where the Boulder attack occurred. Six lawmakers—five Democrats and one Republican—voted "present." This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
China carefully assembling a deep-sea mining strategy
In a world hungry for crucial resources, China may not be poised to start deep-sea mining but it is planting seeds for such operations in a meticulously planned economic and geopolitical strategy. The world's oceans, both international waters and those under national jurisdiction, are rich in minerals and metals, like cobalt, nickel and copper. These are important for building electric car batteries, for instance, and other technologies as countries try to transition away from fossil fuels. China "is an energy-thirsty country. It will look for resources everywhere," including the deep sea, said Julia Xue of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. But she said China is not particularly anxious over the issue, although recent developments -- one company is itching to be the first to start mining the sea bed -- may put more pressure on Beijing. A Canadian firm, The Metals Company, has filed an application with the United States to begin undersea mining in international waters. Using its American subsidiary, it acted after President Donald Trump, bypassing international negotiations, signed an executive order in April to speed up the permit-issuing process for such mining in US and international waters. Trump cited an obscure 1980 US law that says American citizens can explore for and recover deep sea minerals in areas beyond the country's jurisdiction. Environmental groups are outraged by Trump's order, arguing that a wild hunt for the potato-sized, metal-containing nodules could harm fragile undersea ecosystems. The Canadian company initially said it would submit its request to the International Seabed Authority (ISA), a body which has jurisdiction over the ocean floor in international waters. The Metals Company says it ignored this authority because of its slow pace in talks on adopting a mining code that establishes rules for exploiting seabed resources. The United States is not an ISA member. A long-time observer of those talks who spoke on condition of anonymity said China is not particularly worried about who starts mining first. "For them it's more about dominance, staying competitive in the game, and giving the impression that you can't mess with us," the observer said. With that goal in mind "they're definitely developing the technology and putting the strategic agreements in place," Alex Gilbert, a researcher at the Payne Institute for Public Policy at Colorado School of Mines, told AFP. For instance, China has reached an agreement with the Cook Islands to explore for minerals in that Pacific country's waters. Another tiny Pacific nation, Kiribati, also says it is exploring a deep-sea mining partnership with China. This approach is "more geopolitical than economic," said Emmanuel Hache of the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs, noting Beijing is using undersea mining as a lure to cement greater diplomatic support as it exerts power. China holds five contracts handed out by the ISA to look for resources in the Pacific and Indian Ocean sea beds and these contracts cover all types of undersea mineral resources. China's is the largest number of the 22 contracts the organization has granted. - Years behind - "From a research perspective, we have been continuously getting closer. And from a technical perspective, we have been continuously improving," said Chen Xuguang, a researcher at Ocean University of China. In 2024 a Chinese prototype deep-sea mining vehicle called Pioneer II, developed by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, set a national record by operating at a depth of more than 4,000 meters (13,100 feet). State-owned Beijing Pioneer Hi-Tech Development Corporation told AFP that later this year it plans a seabed nodule collection test. Still, China is not as advanced technologically as The Metals Company, experts say. "I would characterize China as being two to four years behind them in terms of their technology," said Gilbert in Colorado. Hache, the French expert, put the gap at five years. But China has an advantage over firms like the Canadian one in recovering and processing nodules: its companies are supported by the state and China has infrastructure for processing metals. The observer of the international seabed talks said China does not need seabed mining for metal supply, "but maybe geopolitically, in the context of maintaining their control over the commodities market." China wants to keep its options open, this person said. And while it supports an international mining code, China does not need one now and "they're not going to put pressure until they've decided strategically that they're ready," said Gilbert. abd/dw/mlm
Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
University of Michigan drops private security after reports of surveillance
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The University of Michigan said it's cutting ties with a private security company that was accused of following pro-Palestinian activists on and off campus. The university said it found the actions of one security company employee 'disturbing, unacceptable and unethical.' It did not elaborate. 'Going forward, we are terminating all contracts with external vendors to provide plainclothes security on campus,' President Domenico Grasso said in a statement Sunday. In a Guardian story last week, students said they were surveilled around Ann Arbor. The news outlet posted video from a member of a Muslim group who decided to confront a man who was watching him from a car last summer. That man in turn yelled and accused him of trying to steal his wallet. Tensions have been high between the university and pro-Palestinian student groups. A student encampment stood for a month on campus last year before authorities shut it down citing safety issues. Seven people were charged with felonies related to the encampment's removal, though charges were dropped in May. The university, which has campus police, said it hired private security about a year ago to report suspicious activity in high-traffic areas, not to perform surveillance. 'No individual or group should ever be targeted for their beliefs or affiliations,' Grasso said.
