Israeli military ordered to block arrival of Freedom Flotilla as ship nears Gaza
Israel 's Defence Minister Israel Katz has instructed the army to stop a high-profile group of pro-Palestine activists on board the ' Freedom Flotilla ' from entering Gaza.
The flotilla, which plans to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza as well as raise awareness about the dire situation there, has 12 people on board including public figures such as climate activist Greta Thunberg and French-Palestinian politician Rima Hassan.
The possibility of an imminent clash is grabbing attention worldwide and stirring memories of previous instances over the years during which Israeli forces prevented activists from approaching Gaza by sea. In 2010, nine activists were killed after Israeli naval forces stormed the Mavi Marmara ship.
'To the anti-Semitic Greta and her friends, I say clearly: You should turn back – because you will not reach Gaza,' Mr Katz said in a statement released by his office.
He said Israel 'will not allow anyone to violate the naval blockade on Gaza – the purpose of which is first and foremost to prevent the transfer of weapons to Hamas, a murderous terrorist organisation that holds our hostages and commits war crimes'.
Yasemin Acar, a German activist on board, said the crew "will certainly not listen to Israel telling us that we cannot come. She said Israel was putting Gaza under "an illegal siege, so who are they to tell us where we can go and where we cannot go?'.
Israel's naval blockade of Gaza has been broken by activists before, with several successful instances in 2008. The most recent vessel that made the attempt, Conscience, was hit by drones, with activists widely blaming Israel although the military has not claimed responsibility.
Activists on board the Madleen have been posting frequent messages on social media. 'When governments fail, we sail,' read one post by crew member Thiago Avila.
'This mission should not exist. It should have been done by governments, by international organisations. We only need to do this because governments are failing Palestine.'
On Saturday the crew reported reaching Egypt after a delay caused by rescuing four migrants who threw themselves overboard a vessel in distress, in a bid to escape Libya's coastguard, according organisers.
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