logo
Israel intercepts Gaza-bound aid ship, detaining Greta Thunberg and other prominent activists

Israel intercepts Gaza-bound aid ship, detaining Greta Thunberg and other prominent activists

CNN — Israel has intercepted a
Israel has intercepted a Gaza-bound aid ship carrying Greta Thunberg and other prominent activists, detaining those onboard and taking them to Israel.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) said the Israeli military had 'attacked' and 'unlawfully boarded' the 'Madleen,' which was attempting to deliver aid to Gaza – where more than 600 days of war, and an 11-week Israeli blockade of all aid, has pushed the enclave's 2.1 million people deeper into a hunger crisis.
Climate activist Thunberg and Rima Hassan — a French member of the European Parliament — are among those on the 'Madleen.'
'(The vessel) is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries,' Israel's Foreign Ministry said in a post on X early Monday local time.
The foreign ministry posted a video showing members of the 'Madleen' crew sitting side by side wearing orange life jackets while a solider offers them bottled water and plastic-wrapped sandwiches. Thunberg can be seen sitting near the front of the group.
The FFC had earlier said the ship had come 'under assault in international waters,' in a Telegram post.
'Quadcopters are surrounding the ship, spraying it with a white paint-like substance. Communications are jammed, and disturbing sounds are being played over the radio,' the FFC said. A video posted by Israel's foreign ministry appeared to show a Navy staffer sending a radio message to the vessel saying the 'maritime zone off the coast of Gaza was closed.'
In a video livestreamed from the boat, activist Yasmin Acar showed a white substance on the deck, saying it had been dropped on the vessel. Acar was later heard saying it was affecting her eyes.
The FFC group also posted a video on Telegram, showing members of the crew sitting inside the boat with their hands in the air.
After losing communication with the vessel, the FFC began posting pre-recorded video messages from Thunberg and others onboard. 'If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces, or forces that support Israel,' Thunberg said in her video.
In a statement, the FFC said Israel had acted with 'total impunity' and that the vessel's cargo, which included baby formula, food and medical supplies was 'confiscated.' Israel said it would transfer the goods to Gaza through humanitarian channels.
'Israel has no legal authority to detain international volunteers aboard the Madleen,' said Huwaida Arraf, human rights attorney and Freedom Flotilla organizer. 'This seizure blatantly violates international law and defies the (International Court of Justice's) binding orders requiring unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza.'
Israel had repeatedly vowed to stop the aid boat from reaching Gaza, and described the ship as a 'selfie yacht' carrying 'celebrities.'
Crew members of the 'Madleen' are seen with their hands in the air as the Israeli military comes aboard, in this image from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.
Freedom Flotilla Coalition/Freedom Flotilla Coalition/Teleg
'I have instructed the IDF to ensure that the 'Madleen' flotilla does not reach Gaza,' Israeli defense minister Israel Katz said on Sunday.
After the flotilla crew members were detained, Katz said in a post on X that he had instructed the military to screen videos of the Hamas attacks on Israel from October 7, 2023 to the activists upon their arrival at Ashdod Port.
Israel's foreign ministry said the group 'attempted to stage a media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain publicity.'
'There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip — they do not involve Instagram selfies,' it added.
In an earlier statement on Monday, the ministry said 'unauthorized attempts to breach the blockade are dangerous, unlawful, and undermine ongoing humanitarian efforts.'
Hamas demanded the immediate release of the activists and condemned their detention in a statement, calling the interception 'a flagrant violation of international law, and an attack on civilian volunteers acting out of humanitarian motives.'
The 'Madleen' is part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an organization that has campaigned against Israel's blockade of Gaza and tried to break the siege by boat.
The crew, which had publicized the location of the ship with an online tracker, began preparing for the possibility of interception by the Israeli military. On Monday morning, the UK-flagged civilian vessel was north of Egypt in the Mediterranean Sea, slowly approaching the coast of Gaza, but the tracker has since appeared to have stopped.
'We know that it's a very risky mission and we know that previous experiences with flotillas like this have resulted in attacks, violence and even cases of death,' Thunberg told CNN on Saturday.
Israel imposed a full humanitarian blockade of Gaza on March 2, cutting off food, medical supplies, and other aid to the more than 2 million Palestinians who live in the territory for 11 weeks.
Israel's Foreign Ministry released this image of Greta Thunberg being offered a plastic-wrapped pastrami sandwich and a bottle of water after those onboard the 'Madleen' were detained by Israel's military.
Israel Foreign Ministry
Faced with growing international pressure, Israel began allowing a trickle of aid in late May. But humanitarian organizations say it is only a fraction of the aid that entered the enclave before the war, and have warned of a worsening humanitarian crisis and the growing risk of widespread famine. A UN-backed report warned in late April that one in five people were facing starvation.
Dozens of Palestinians have been killed over the past week while on their way to try and obtain aid from a new US-backed group commissioned to deliver aid to Gaza, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The group is intended to replace the UN-led system of distributing aid in Gaza. The United Nations has warned that the new distribution mechanism has become a 'death trap' for desperate people seeking food in the strip.
Last month, another vessel from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition came under what its organizers claimed was an Israeli drone attack off the coast of Malta in international waters. The group did not provide evidence that the drone was Israeli, while the Israeli military has declined to comment on the alleged attack.
The ship, the 'Conscience,' was heading to Malta, where a large contingent of activists, including Thunberg, were due to board before it departed for Gaza.
The later voyage on the 'Madleen,' which was intercepted by Israel, departed from Sicily last Friday.
An earlier version of this article mistakenly stated Irish actor Liam Cunningham was onboard the Madleen. The FFC has confirmed he is not onboard.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Thunberg accuses Israel of kidnap after Gaza aid boat intercepted - War on Gaza
Thunberg accuses Israel of kidnap after Gaza aid boat intercepted - War on Gaza

Al-Ahram Weekly

time31 minutes ago

  • Al-Ahram Weekly

Thunberg accuses Israel of kidnap after Gaza aid boat intercepted - War on Gaza

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg on Tuesday accused Israel of "kidnapping us in international waters and taking us against our will to Israel" after security forces intercepted a boat carrying humanitarian aid bound for Gaza. "This is yet another intentional violation of rights that is added to the list of countless other violations that Israel is committing," Thunberg, 22, told reporters on arrival at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris after being deported from Israel. She stressed that her own experience was "nothing compared to what the Palestinians are going through". Of the 12 people on board the Madleen carrying food and supplies for Gaza, five French activists were taken into custody after they refused to leave Israel voluntarily. But Thunberg, who rose to fame as a schoolgirl activist against climate change and seeks to avoid flying because of its environmental impact, was deported by Israel on a commercial flight of national airline El Al bound for Paris. "This is not the real story. The real story is there is a genocide going on in Gaza and systematic starvation," said Thunberg. Several rights groups including Amnesty International have accused Israel of genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza. The vessel carrying French, German, Brazilian, Turkish, Swedish, Spanish and Dutch activists had the stated aim of delivering humanitarian aid and breaking the Israeli blockade on the Palestinian territory. Israel intercepted the Madleen about 185 kilometres (115 miles) west of the coast of Gaza. Thunberg said what happened to the vessel was a "continuation and violation of international law and war crimes that are being systematically committed by Israel by not letting aid in" to Gaza. "This was a mission of attempting to once again bring aid to Gaza and send solidarity. And saw we cannot," she said. She also denounced what she termed the "silence and passivity" of governments worldwide over what was taking place in Gaza. "There are no words to describe the betrayal that is happening every day by our own governments," she said. Admitting she was "desperately in need of a shower", Thunberg vowed to carry on her campaign. "We will not stop. We will try every single day to demand an end to the atrocities Israel is carrying out". At least 54,981 people, the majority women and children, have been killed in the territory since the start of Israel's war. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:

UK and four nations sanction two far-right Israeli ministers - War on Gaza
UK and four nations sanction two far-right Israeli ministers - War on Gaza

Al-Ahram Weekly

timean hour ago

  • Al-Ahram Weekly

UK and four nations sanction two far-right Israeli ministers - War on Gaza

The UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway on Tuesday announced sanctions against two Israeli ministers for "repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities", they said in a joint statement. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir will be subject to a travel ban and an asset freeze, the UK foreign ministry said in a statement. The move comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces growing international criticism over his government's conduct of the war on Gaza. It also sees the five western countries break from Israel's closest ally, the United States, in taking action against the two ministers. Ben Gvir and Smotrich "have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights", the foreign ministers of the five countries said in the joint statement. "These actions are not acceptable. This is why we have taken action now -- to hold those responsible to account." UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the pair have used "horrendous extremist language" and that he would "encourage the Israeli government to disavow and condemn that language". Last month, Smotrich said Gaza "will be entirely destroyed" and that civilians "will start to leave in great numbers to third countries". The UK foreign ministry said in its statement that "extremist settlers have carried out over 1,900 attacks against Palestinian civilians since January last year". It said it was "committed to protecting the viability of a two-state solution and human rights, including by challenging those inciting violence". Smotrich, who lives in a settlement in the occupied West Bank, has increasingly called for the annexation of the Palestinian territory. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:

China Introduces Visa-Free Regime for 4 Gulf Countries
China Introduces Visa-Free Regime for 4 Gulf Countries

See - Sada Elbalad

time3 hours ago

  • See - Sada Elbalad

China Introduces Visa-Free Regime for 4 Gulf Countries

Ahmed Emam Starting 9 June 2025, China launched a trial phase of a unilateral visa-free policy for citizens of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain, according to the "Global Times" , a media outlet affiliated with TV BRICS. Under this new arrangement, ordinary passport holders from these four Gulf countries can enter China without a visa for up to 30 days. Permitted travel purposes include tourism, business, visiting relatives, cultural activities, or transiting through the country. The pilot program will remain in effect until 8 June 2026. With this move, China has now extended visa-free access to all six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Previously, in 2018, China had established mutual visa exemption agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. In a statement, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that his country warmly welcomes visitors from the GCC, highlighting that the growing scope of visa-free policies reflects the country's broader commitment to openness and international engagement. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks News Shell Unveils Cost-Cutting, LNG Growth Plan Videos & Features Video: Trending Lifestyle TikToker Valeria Márquez Shot Dead during Live Stream Technology 50-Year Soviet Spacecraft 'Kosmos 482' Crashes into Indian Ocean

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