logo
‘Ditch the phones': Israel boards Gaza charity boat with Greta Thunberg on board

‘Ditch the phones': Israel boards Gaza charity boat with Greta Thunberg on board

The Age2 days ago

Israeli forces have boarded the Gaza-bound aid boat Madleen and detained Greta Thunberg and other activists on board, enforcing a longstanding blockade of the Palestinian territory that has been tightened during the war with Hamas.
Footage posted by activist group the Freedom Flotilla Coalition showed a chaotic scene as the crew, wearing orange life jackets, sat with their hands up while someone shouted, 'Ditch the phones. Phones in the water, please'. Searchlights shone from outside, and a loudspeaker could be heard.
In a post on X, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said 'the 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities'' was 'safely making its way to the shores of Israel' and that those onboard were 'expected to return to their home countries'.
It said the humanitarian aid aboard the boat, which was reportedly off the coast of Egypt, would be transferred to Gaza through established channels. The ministry later circulated footage of what appeared to be Israeli military personnel handing out sandwiches and water to the activists.
In an Instagram update, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said its 'peaceful volunteers were rammed and intercepted before Israeli forces boarded the vessel. We lost all contact with them seconds later'.
'The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo – including baby formula, food and medical supplies – confiscated,' it said in a further statement.
In a pre-recorded video message, Thunberg said she and the crew had been 'intercepted and kidnapped in international waters'.
'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,' she said in the video.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Bodies of two hostages recovered from Gaza, Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu says
Bodies of two hostages recovered from Gaza, Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu says

ABC News

time2 hours ago

  • ABC News

Bodies of two hostages recovered from Gaza, Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu says

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the bodies of two hostages have been recovered from Gaza by the military and the domestic intelligence agency, the Shin Bet. Netanyahu said in a statement on Wednesday, local time, that the body of hostage Yair Yaakov had been retrieved, along with that of another whose identity has not been cleared for publication. The Israeli military said militants from the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad abducted and killed Mr Yaakov during the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack on southern Israel. Militants also took Mr Yaakov's partner, Meirav Tal, and two of his children, Or and Yagil, hostage but later released them, the military said. Mr Yaakov was 59 at the time of his death. The military said it notified the family of the second hostage whose body it recovered, adding that it retrieved the bodies in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the bodies were retrieved in a "complex" operation without disclosing details. There are 53 hostages still being held in Gaza, with fewer than half believed to be alive. The latest recovery brings to five the number of hostage bodies retrieved by Israeli forces so far this month. Hamas and other militants from Gaza abducted 251 people during the 2023 attack in which about 1,200 people in Israel were killed. "Along with all the citizens of Israel, my wife and I extend our deepest condolences to the families who have lost their most precious loved ones," Mr Netanyahu said in a statement. Israel's retaliatory war against Hamas in Gaza has killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. The Gaza Health Ministry doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants, but has said that women and children make up more than half the dead. Israel says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas, accusing the militants of hiding among civilians, because they operate in populated areas. The ministry says 55,104 people have been killed since the start of the war and 127,394 wounded. Many more are believed to be buried under the rubble or in areas that are inaccessible to local medics. The Health Ministry is part of Gaza's Hamas-run government, but staffed by medical professionals who maintain and publish detailed records. Its tolls from previous conflicts have largely aligned with those of independent experts, though Israel has questioned the ministry's figures. Israeli forces have destroyed vast areas of Gaza, displaced about 90 per cent of its population and in recent weeks have transformed more than half of the coastal territory into a military buffer zone that includes the now mostly uninhabited southern city of Rafah. ABC/wires

Bodies of two hostages recovered in Gaza
Bodies of two hostages recovered in Gaza

9 News

time2 hours ago

  • 9 News

Bodies of two hostages recovered in Gaza

Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here BREAKING Pentagon launches review of AUKUS pact The bodies of two deceased hostages were recovered from southern Gaza in a military operation , the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet security agency announced earrly this morning. Yair Yaakov was killed during by Islamic Jihad militants during the Hamas-led terror attack on October 7, 2023. Yaakov, who was 59 years old at the time, was killed in Kibbutz Nir Oz and his body taken into Gaza. His partner, Meirav Tal, and two of his children were taken hostage and subsequently released during a previous hostage agreement. The body of Israeli hostage Yair Yaakov has been recovered in Gaza. (Hostages and Missing Families Forum) The body of an additional hostage has also been recovered, according to the IDF and Shin Bet, but the second name has not yet been made public at the request of the family. "Together with all the citizens of Israel, my wife and I extend our heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their dearest," said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a statement. "Alongside the pain and mourning, we feel a measure of relief knowing that the two will be laid to rest with dignity – and that the unbearable suffering their loved ones have endured for 614 days may now be eased, if only slightly," said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in a statement. "We repeat our demand to the decision-makers to reach a full and comprehensive agreement that will bring home all 53 remaining hostages – even if that requires ending the fighting." The recovery of these two bodies comes less than a week after the Israeli military recovered the bodies of Judy Weinstein-Haggai, 70, and Gadi Haggai, 72, who were also killed during the attack on Nir Oz. Last week, the Israeli military also recovered the body of Thai hostage Nattapong Pinta. Israel Hamas Conflict War military Gaza Israel Middle East World CONTACT US

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store