Israeli Navy intercepts yacht carrying Greta Thunberg, other activists, on way to Gaza
Tel Aviv, June 9 (UNI) Israeli authorities said they have intercepted at sea the Madleen, a boat that had on board 12 international activists including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, and was headed for the war-torn Gaza Strip carrying humanitarian aid.
The other activists on board the yacht included Brazilian activist Thiago Avila, and French-Palestinian European Parliament Member Rima Hassan.
All parties on board will be handed over to police for deportation upon arrival at Ashdod Port, The Times of Israel reported.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry, justifying its actions, said on X that the navy had "instructed the boat to change its course due to its approach toward a restricted area."
After defying the given instructions, the vessel was intercepted 3am (local time) by the Navy's Shayetet 13 commando unit and the Snapir harbour border security unit.
It released video footage showing the activists being taken to Israel, and said they were unharmed.
The international Freedom Flotilla Coalition, upon being boarded, said on its Telegram channel that Israeli forces boarded the aid vessel. It accused Israel of violating international law by preventing the delivery of aid, and accused the IDF of 'kidnapping' them.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz released a statement, saying he instructed the military to show the activists a video, widely known in Israel as "the gruesome video", which compiles graphic scenes from the Hamas-led deadly attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Katz praised the military for the "swift and safe takeover of the Madleen flotilla to prevent them from breaching the blockade and reaching the shores of Gaza."
Calling the vessel a 'selfie yacht', the Ministry said "While Greta and others attempted to stage a media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain publicity - and which included less than a single truckload of aid - more than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza from Israel within the past two weeks.
"There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip - they do not involve Instagram selfies."
Israel has imposed a strict blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007, when the Islamic terror group Hamas took control of the territory.
The blockade was significantly tightened after Hamas' October 2023 attack and has become even stronger now, with the blockade aimed specifically to prevent any possible Iranian vessels from entering the area.
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