&w=3840&q=100)
‘You will not make it to Gaza': Israel vows to block Gaza-bound aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg
Greta Thunberg, a climate activist, is among 12 activists aboard the Madleen, which is operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition read more
Climate activist Greta Thunberg boards the Madleen boat before setting sail for Gaza along with activists of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, departing from the Sicilian port of Catania, Italy. AP
Israel vowed Sunday to block an aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists from reaching Gaza.
Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that Israel will not permit any breach of its naval blockade on Palestinian territory, emphasizing that it was intended to stop Hamas from bringing in weapons.
'I have instructed the military to prevent the Madleen flotilla from reaching Gaza,' Israel Katz said in a statement from his office.
'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.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Thunberg, a climate activist, is among 12 activists aboard the Madleen, which is operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.
As the war between Israel and Hamas enters its 21st month, the organisers of the Madleen's voyage said on Saturday that they had arrived in Egyptian waters and were getting close to Gaza.
The activists had said they planned to reach Gaza's territorial waters as early as Sunday.
Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent, is among the others onboard. She has been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies toward the Palestinians.
The Madleen sailed out of Italy on June 1 with the aim of bringing humanitarian relief and lifting the Israeli bloackade on Palestinian territory.
'Israel will not allow anyone to break the naval blockade of Gaza, which is aimed at preventing weapons from reaching Hamas – a murderous terrorist group holding our hostages and committing war crimes,' Katz said.
'Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade or support terror groups – by sea, air or land,' he added.
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.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
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.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
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.
With inputs from agencies
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
23 minutes ago
- Time of India
'He died the way he lived—underground': Israel confirms Hamas leader Muhammad Sinwar killed in May 13 strike; body found inside tunnel
Muhammad Sinwar (left) The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet security agency on Sunday confirmed that the body of Hamas leader Muhammad Sinwar was found inside a tunnel located under the European Hospital in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza. "Mohammad Sinwar was responsible for the deaths of countless civilians. He was eliminated in an IDF & ISA strike on May 13," IDF said in a post on X. "His body was found beneath the European hospital in Khan Yunis—more proof of how Sinwar, and Hamas, hide behind their civilians and purposely embed themselves in civilian areas, such as hospitals," the post further said, adding, "He died the way he lived—underground." — IDF (@IDF) According to the military, the tunnel was used by Hamas as a command center, The Times of Israel reported. Israeli fighter jets bombarded the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis on May 13 to kill Muhammad Sinwar, one of Hamas' remaining top leaders in the enclave Troops reached the hospital several days earlier, and later retrieved the body of Sinwar along with the bodies of other Hamas members, as per The Times of Israel report. The Israeli military said that Sinwar was killed in an Israeli strike on the tunnel on May 13. The same strike also killed Muhammad Shabana, the commander of Hamas' Rafah Brigade, and Mahdi Quara, commander of the group's South Khan Younis Battalion. The IDF added that it found several items belonging to Sinwar and Shabana inside the tunnel, including ID cards. Weapons were also recovered. The IDF said that the identification process has confirmed that one of the bodies belongs to Sinwar, while the other bodies are still being identified. Earlier in May, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing Hamas and Arab officials, that the meeting between Hamas leaders was held to talk about their position on ceasefire negotiations and a hostage deal, among other topics. After learning of the gathering, the Israeli Air Force began preparing for a strike, The Times of Israel's report said. Senior officers believed it might be canceled over concerns that hostages could be nearby, as Sinwar was known to keep them close. Who was Muhammad Sinwar? Muhammad Sinwar, a senior military figure in Hamas, was the younger brother of former Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar. He had been on Israel's most wanted list for several months. Israeli officials said Sinwar had resisted efforts to negotiate a hostage deal and had blocked progress toward a ceasefire. After the death of Muhammad Deif, Hamas's top military commander, in July 2024, Sinwar took over the group's military operations. Yahya Sinwar had been made the overall Hamas leader after Israel killed Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in the same month. When Yahya Sinwar was killed in combat in October 2024, Muhammad Sinwar became the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
‘My son will not come back': Father of Bengaluru stampede victim says compensation will go to wife, daughter
Devraj, the father of one of the deceased in the Bengaluru stampede on June 4, said on Sunday that he would use the compensation announced by the state government for her wife and daughter. He said the cheque of ₹25 lakh given to him won't bring his son back, who died in the stampede that broke out during a victory parade of the IPL-winning team RCB in Bengaluru on June 4. "I have been given a cheque of ₹25 lakhs, but my son will not come back. I will not use this money for my benefit... I will put it in the account of my daughter and her mother and keep the money for her future..." Devraj said. Also Read | Bengaluru stampede: Siddaramaiah says he learned of deaths only at 5.45 pm Devraj's son, Manoj, was among the 11 people who died in the Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede in Bengaluru. The stampede occurred on the evening of June 4 in front of the stadium after a large number of people thronged to participate in the celebrations of RCB's first-ever IPL victory. According to Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, the venue could not handle the size of the crowd, adding that the stadium's capacity was 35,000 but 2 to 3 lakh people had turned up for the celebrations. Also Read | Bengaluru stampede: Police had warned Karnataka govt before RCB victory event, says report The state government has appointed a one-member inquiry commission led by retired High Court judge Justice John Michael D'Cunha to investigate the tragedy. It has also announced a compensation of ₹25 lakh for the families of the deceased. The Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka government had earlier announced a compensation of ₹10 lakh. 'I have ordered an increase in the compensation announced for the families of those who died in the stampede at Chinnaswamy Stadium from ₹10 lakh each to ₹25 lakh. Our government hopes that families who have lost loved ones will not suffer further due to financial problems," he wrote on X on Saturday. In addition to the government's aid, the RCB franchise had earlier announced a compensation of ₹10 lakh per victim's family and promised the creation of a support fund to assist those who were injured in the incident.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
What is Canada's new citizenship bill C-3? And how will it impact Indians? Explained
As Canada works to solve its immigration issues, the Mark Carney-led government have introduced a new bill which will bring in a limit on citizenship provided by descent. The citizenship amendment - C-3 - announced on Thursday, will effectively restore citizenship to lost Canadians. Introduced by Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab, the C-3 will be focus on fixing "injustices" against Canadian-born citizens outside of Canada. As per the Canadian government, ill C-3 will - The current rules state that if a Canadian citizen was born outside of Canada, they will not be pass on their citizenship to their child born abroad. Furthermore, this rule, introduced in 2009, restricted citizenship via descent only to first generation born Canadians. "The current first-generation limit to citizenship no longer reflects how Canadian families live today—here at home and around the world—and the values that define our country," said Immigration minister Diab while introducing the new C-3 bill. This amendment to the citizenship bill also comes after the Ontario Superior Court of Justice deemed the existing version of the rule "unconstitutional" in December 2023. This bill is expected to benefit the Indian diaspora and other immigrants in Canada as the C-3 bill will "allow a Canadian parent born abroad who has a substantial connection to Canada to pass on citizenship to their child born abroad beyond the first generation." "It would also provide them with access to the direct grant of citizenship for their child adopted abroad beyond the first generation," IRCC added further. Which means, a persons born in India to Canadian citizens or ancestors will now be eligible for Canadian citizenship based on the C-3 bill. This bill also comes at a time when US President Donald Trump has ended birthright citizenship, impacting several immigrants in the United States. The C-3 bill is currently under legislative review and needed to be passed by both houses of Parliament to become a law. "If the bill passes both Houses of Parliament and receives Royal Assent, we will work as quickly as possible to bring the changes into effect," said IRCC in its official statement. In the Canadian parliament, a bill must pass three readings before the two Houses cast their vote. After the houses cast their votes, the bill is then passed to the Governor General for Royal Assent.
