Gazans shot dead as Israel blocks aid boat carrying activist Greta Thunberg

7NEWS

21 hours ago

Greta Thunberg and other activists onboard a sailboat carrying aid and supplies to the Gaza Strip have been detained by Israel.
It comes as Israeli forces and allied local gunmen are accused of killing 14 people heading to a food distribution centre in the Strip under siege.
Experts warn that Israel's blockade and ongoing military campaign will put Gaza at risk of famine.
Palestinian officials said the gunmen appeared to be allied with Israel's military, operating in proximity to troops, and seen retreating into an Israeli military zone in the southern city of Rafah, after a crowd of people hurled stones at them.
It was the latest in a series of shootings that have killed at least 127 people and wounded hundreds since the rollout of a new food distribution system last month, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
Israel and the United States say the new system is designed to circumvent Hamas, but it has been rejected by the UN and major aid groups.
Roughly two million Palestinians in Gaza almost completely rely on international aid, as nearly all food production capabilities have been destroyed.
Aid for Palestinians was also onboard the Madleen, a sailboat from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which set off from Sicily a week ago in hopes of generating pressure on Israel to end the war.
It was carrying Greta Thunberg and other prominent activists from various countries.
The Madleen is now docked in the Israeli port of Ashdod after the Israeli military blocked it from reaching the Gaza Strip.
They were intercepted by Israeli forces early on Monday after an order from Defence Minister Israel Katz.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said on X the activists were 'currently undergoing medical examinations to ensure they are in good health'.
It also published a photo of Thunberg after she disembarked.
The group was taken into a room to watch a video of the October 7 massacre carried out by Hamas in 2023, and is expected to be returned to their home countries via the Ben Gurion International Airport.
In a statement earlier on Monday, the FFC said the Madleen had 'been attacked/forcibly intercepted by the Israeli military' in international waters.
'The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo — including baby formula, food and medical supplies — confiscated,' the FFC said in a statement.
FFC organiser Huwaida Arraf said Israel had no legal authority to detain those aboard the ship.
'These volunteers are not subject to Israeli jurisdiction and cannot be criminalised for delivering aid or challenging an illegal blockade their detention is arbitrary, unlawful and must end immediately,' Arraf said.
'We are undeterred. We will sail again. We will not stop until the siege ends and Palestine is free,' the FFC said.
The activists argue that Israel must guarantee unhindered humanitarian access to the coastal strip.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry, however, stated that the zone off the Gaza Strip is closed to unauthorised vessels under the naval blockade in place since 2007.
A spokesperson for the Israeli Foreign Ministry labelled the international activists' action a 'provocation' and a 'gimmick' while the ministry has labelled the Madleen a 'selfie yacht'.
Progressive Israeli activists protested in Ashdod against the military's deployment, holding up signs calling for the government to 'end the blockade, the hunger, the genocide'.
Australians rally outside PM's office
Protesters have demonstrated outside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's electorate office after Israel blocked the Madleen on Monday.
Students for Palestine, one of the groups that called for a snap protest at the prime minister's electorate office in Sydney, said Australia should expel the Israeli ambassador.
'The Madleen crew represent the hopes of all those who stand for humanity against the starvation and bombardment of Gazans, and they must be immediately released,' the group's co-convenor Jasmine Duff said on Monday.
'We call on Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong to immediately expel the Israeli ambassador, cut all military and economic ties with Israel, and pressure Israel to release the illegally kidnapped crew,' she said.
The progressive Jewish Council of Australia also urged Australia to place sanctions on Israel.
'The world is watching,' the council's executive officer Sarah Schwartz said.
'We don't have to be a 'major player' to show our commitment to the basic humanity of Palestinians and be part of the global movement to pressure Israel through sanctions to comply with international law.'
More than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's ongoing military offensive, according to Gaza health officials.
It was an unprecedented response to the October 7 attack during which Hamas militants killed 1200 Israelis and captured more than 250 hostages.