Israel vows to block aid boat to Gaza by 'any means necessary'
June 8 (UPI) -- Israel said Sunday that it would use "any means necessary" to stop a flotilla of boats carrying a dozen pro-Palestinian activists and aid from reaching Gaza, and was attempting to stop the boats from breaching an Israeli naval brigade.
One of the boats, a small, civilian boat called the Madleen, is carrying activist Greta Thunberg, and was 160 nautical miles off the coast of Egypt on Sunday, according to a ship tracker. Local reports said the Madleen's communication systems may have been interfered with so the boat's exact location was unknown, according to the Times of Israel.
The Madleen is part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition carrying aid to the region that set sail from Sicily on June 1. European Parliamentarian Rima Hassan is also aboard the Madleen.
While the small boat is said to be carrying aid and activists, Israel has said it is critical to prevent weapons smuggling into the region. Israel imposed the blockade on Gaza in 2007, but it has intensified since the Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023, killing more than 1,200 people. The ensuing battle has left tens of thousands of Gazans dead.
Israeli defense minister Israel Katz is leading efforts to keep the Madleen, which is carrying only a token amount of aid, from reaching Gazans.
"To Greta the antisemite and her friends, propagandists for Hamas -- I say clearly: You would do well to turn back, because you won't get to Gaza," Katz said in a statement. "Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade or aid terrorist organizations by sea, air or land."
Israel and Egypt imposed the aid blockade on Gaza in 2007 after the Islamic militant group seized the coastal strip in 2007. Israel has said it is not trying to limit aid to effected Gazans but, rather, said it imposed the blockade to prevent weapons smuggling into to the enclave.
Israel recently imposed an 80-day block on humanitarian aid to Gazans, which has the region on the precipice of famine, international aid organizations have said.
This is the latest in a series of moves by Israel to stop aid deliveries to the region, following an attempt in April that stopped a ship called the Conscience after it left Tunisia and was scheduled to pick up more activists and humanitarian aid in Malta.
The Conscience was set on fire by Israeli-backed explosions that set it on fire off the coast of Malta.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
UPI
40 minutes ago
- UPI
Pope asks God to 'open borders, breakdown barriers' during papal mass
Pope Leo XIV arrives to lead a Holy mass for the beginning of his pontificate in St Peter's square in the Vatican in May. File photo by Stefano Spaziani/UPI | License Photo June 8 (UPI) -- Pope Leo asked God to "open borders, break down walls and dispel hatred," during Sunday mass with tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square Sunday. The pontiff has been critical of nationalist political movements and the "exclusionary mindset" they convey, but did not name a specific country or government. "There is no room for prejudice , for 'security zones' separating us from our neighbors, for the exclusionary mindset that, unfortunately, we now see emerging in political nationalisms," the pope said during the mass. Leo added that the church "must open the borders between peoples and break down the barriers between class and race." "People must move beyond our fear of those who are different," he continued, and said the Holy Spirit "breaks down barriers and tears down the walls of indifference and hatred." While the pontiff did not mention President Donald Trump by name, he has been critical of his administration and policies. Prior to ascending to pope in May, Leo, formerly known as Cardinal Robert Prevost, routinely posted negative comments about Trump and vice-president JD Vance on social media. The Prevost X account was deactivated shortly after he became pope. Prior to Leo, pope Francis, who died earlier this year, was also critical of Trump. "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not a Christian," Francis said about Trump when asked about him in 2016.
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Israel vows to stop aid ship from reaching Gaza
Israel imposed the blockade on Gaza, with Egypt's help, after Hamas, the Islamic militant group, took over the coastal strip in 2007. Israeli officials have said the blockade is necessary to prevent weapons smuggling into the enclave. Conditions in Gaza have worsened considerably since the deadly Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023, which ignited the current war, now in its 20th month. Israel recently banned the entry of any humanitarian aid for 80 days, bringing the territory to the brink of famine, according to international aid organizations. Advertisement The Madleen is probably carrying only a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid. The coalition said in a statement that it was bringing urgently needed goods, including baby formula, flour, rice, diapers, medical supplies, and children's prosthetics. But Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, said he had instructed the country's military to prevent the vessel from reaching Gaza. Advertisement In a blunt statement, he said, 'To Greta the antisemite and her friends, propagandists for Hamas — I say clearly: You would do well to turn back, because you won't get to Gaza. Israel will act against any attempt to breach the blockade or aid terrorist organizations by sea, air or land.' Thunberg has been an outspoken opponent of Israel's naval blockade of Gaza and its actions in the enclave. 'We are doing this because, no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying,' Thunberg said last week. 'Because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity. And no matter how dangerous this mission is, it's not even near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the livestreamed genocide.' Israel's military has blocked past attempts by pro-Palestinian activists to bring aid to Gaza by sea, including by force. In 2010, nine passengers aboard the Mavi Marmara, part of a flotilla carrying aid from Turkey to Gaza, were killed in an Israeli commando raid, stirring international outrage and damaging Turkish-Israeli relations. A 10th passenger died from his wounds years later. Israel said at the time that its soldiers, some of whom had rappelled onto the ship from helicopters, fell into an ambush and were attacked with clubs, metal rods, and knives. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition has described the interception of the Mavi Marmara as 'an unlawful and deadly attack' and said the Madleen's mission is 'a continuation of that legacy -- a refusal to surrender to silence, fear or complicity' in the face of the siege of Gaza. Another recent attempt by the coalition to challenge the blockade was thwarted. A ship called Conscience left Tunisia in late April carrying human rights activists and aid and was scheduled to stop in Malta to pick up more people, including Thunberg. But the ship was rocked by explosions off the coast of Malta, setting it on fire. Advertisement The passengers and crew were not harmed, but the mission was abandoned. Israel has since lifted its total ban on the entry of humanitarian aid and, in recent weeks, has backed a new system aimed at getting help to Palestinians without Hamas being able to divert or benefit from it. The effort got off to a troubled start as Israeli forces fired at hungry and desperate Palestinians on their way to collect boxes of food at a distribution site in southern Gaza, killing and wounding scores of them. The distribution sites are being operated by American security contractors under the auspices of a new organization, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. That effort has been boycotted by the United Nations and other prominent aid groups, which accuse Israel of using aid as a weapon. The foundation said it had distributed more than 1.1 million meals Sunday across three distribution sites. In addition, the group said it had delivered 11 truckloads of food directly to community leaders through local merchants as part of a pilot project aimed at easing crowding at the existing distribution points. On Saturday, the foundation said it was 'impossible to proceed' with the distribution of aid that day, accusing Hamas of threatening its operations. A group spokesperson Sunday shared a written warning he said local staff members had received, threatening them with 'serious consequences' if they continued working for the program. Advertisement This article originally appeared in
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Far-left NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani urges boycott of Cornell school with ties to Israel: ‘Blatant antisemitism'
Far-left mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has said Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island should be boycotted because of its partnership with an Israel-based school — a stance blasted as 'blatant antisemitism.'' 'There are ways to make what seems to be an international battle into a local one,' the Democratic socialist said on a 'Talking Palestine' podcast with Sumaya Awad shortly after getting elected to the state assembly in 2020. 'If you were to look at the lens of BDS [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions] and how it applies here in New York City, you would say that Cornell-Technion is something you would be talking about,' Mamdani said of the Roosevelt Island college, which is partnered with Technion University in Israel and is also referred to as the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute. 'Technion University is an Israeli University that has helped to develop a lot of weapons technology used by the IDF [Israel Defense Force],' said Mamdani, as he voiced support for economic boycotts against Israel. Mamdani — who also recounted how he co-founded the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at Bowdoin College when he attended the school — said a boycott campaign would scrutinize any government funds that Cornell-Technion received. 'I'm sure that if we look close enough, there are either municipal subsidies or state subsidies granted to a project such as this on Roosevelt Island,' Mamdani said. The Roosevelt venture is a pet project of former Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who conducted a worldwide competitive bidding process to operate the sciences and engineering campus. Cornell won the bid and opened the joint campus in September 2017, paving the way for such things as shared programs and professors. A former Bloomberg staffer told The Post it's outrageous that Mamdani would push going after Cornell's partnership with Technion. 'Zohran Mamdani spends his days attacking Donald Trump, but it seems he's really a fanboy,' said Mark Botnick, former City Hall aide during Bloomberg's mayoralty. 'His call to defund Cornell Tech over its ties to the Technion is a page straight out of the Trump playbook,' said Botnick — as the president targets Harvard and other universities over policies he opposes. 'If Mamdani is so eager to sever connections with Israeli institutions, is he also planning to boycott and deny New Yorkers' access to the myriad of lifesaving treatments and technologies developed by Israeli institutions?' the former Bloomberg aide said. 'Given his blatant antisemitism, he just might.' Other boosters of Cornell Tech also rapped Mamdani's targeting of the campus for a boycott. 'It is frightening to think that a mayoral candidate could be either so naive or so bigoted that they would question public funding for a school that has contributed so much to the growth of our city's technology sector because it is a partnership with the legendary Technion Institute of Israel,' said Kathryn Wylde, CEO of the Partnership for New York City. Wylde served on the advisory committee that helped bring the Cornell Tech campus to Roosevelt Island. Mamdani, 33, who is running second in the Democratic mayoral primary to ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, is a Palestinian rights activist and a staunch foe of Israel. Last week, during and after a mayoral debate, he refused to recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. A Mamdani campaign rep did not dispute the candidate's comments eyeing a boycott of Cornell over its Israel ties. 'Zohran has been clear and consistent: his focus is lowering the cost of living and delivering a safer city for every single New Yorker. That's what this campaign has been about and it is how he will govern as mayor,' the Mamdani spokesman Told the Post. Early voting for the June 24 mayoral primary begins this Saturday, June 14.
