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