Gaza Freedom Flotilla update: Israel says Greta Thunberg and Madleen ship activists are heading home soon. Here's what to know
After intercepting the 'Madleen,' a civilian ship carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza, with a number of high-profile passengers on board including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, and France's representative to the European Parliament Rima Hassan, Israel's Foreign Ministry said the activists will soon be on their way home.
On Monday, Israel's Foreign Ministry posted on X: '[The vessel] carrying Greta Thunberg and the other so-called 'celebrities' is continuing its journey toward an Israeli port. Upon arrival, arrangements will be made for their return to their respective home countries.'
Israel plans to bring the detained activists to Ashdod port and then through a 'quick deportation process' via Ben-Gurion Airport, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
The intercepted ship's passengers and crew were detained, and then taken to Israel. Israel's Defense Ministry said any aid on the ship would be sent to Gaza, however, it would not allow anyone to break its naval blockade of the Gaza, aimed at preventing Hamas from importing arms, according to CBS News.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which organized the boat's effort, said the Israeli military had 'unlawfully boarded' and 'attacked' the U.K.-flagged civilian ship on its way to deliver aid to Gaza, surrounding it with quadcopters, jamming communications, and playing disturbing sounds over the radio, reported CNN.
Questions and concern about the whereabouts of the ship's passengers escalated after Thunberg released a video widely share on social media—including the The Independent's Tik Tok which stated: 'If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces, or forces that support Israel. 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 attempt to deliver aid to Gaza comes after more than 600 days of war, and Israel's 11-week blockade of all aid, which by many accounts is forcing about 2.1 million into a hunger crisis.
'People in Gaza are starving. This demands the urgent opening of all crossings and allowing unimpeded access for humanitarian organizations to deliver aid at scale, through multiple routes,' the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said recently.
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