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

'You should turn back'
On Sunday, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said he had ordered the boat to be stopped and that no one would be allowed to break the naval blockade of Gaza, which he said was aimed at preventing Hamas from importing arms.
'To the antisemitic Greta and her fellow Hamas propagandists, I will say this clearly: 'You should turn back because you will not make it to Gaza',' Katz said in a statement.
The British-flagged vessel left Sicily a week ago with 12 people on board, including Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European parliament who is of Palestinian descent.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition said its aim was to break the blockade and deliver a token amount of aid, while raising awareness over the growing humanitarian crisis 20 months into the Israel-Hamas war.
After an 11-week blockade aimed at pressuring Hamas, Israel began to allow some basic aid into Gaza last month and set up a new distribution system using a controversial new aid group, but humanitarian workers have warned of famine unless the blockade is lifted and Israel ends its military offensive.
Loading
On Sunday, the Israeli Army said it had recovered the body of Mohammed Sinwar, a senior Hamas commander who was killed in a May 13 airstrike at a Gaza hospital.
Sinwar's remains were found in a tunnel beneath the European Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, according to the Israeli military.
Additional bodies were found at the site and were being examined, the military said.
Hamas has yet to acknowledge the death of Sinwar, the brother and successor of deceased Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the October 7, 2023, attacks that triggered the devastating war in Gaza. Israeli forces killed Yahya Sinwar in October 2024.
Meanwhile, Palestinian health officials and witnesses said at least 12 people were killed and others wounded by Israeli fire in Gaza on Sunday as they headed towards two aid distribution points.
Israel's military said it fired warning shots at people who approached its forces.
The past two weeks have seen frequent shootings near the new aid hubs where thousands of Palestinians, desperate after 20 months of war, are being directed to collect food.
In all, at least 108 bodies were brought to hospitals in Gaza over the past 24 hours, the territory's Health Ministry said. Israel's military said it had struck dozens of militant targets over the past day.
Loading
Hamas-led militants killed about 1200 people, mostly civilians, in the October 7 attack and abducted 251 hostages, more than half of whom have since been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Hamas is still holding 55 hostages, more than half of them believed to be dead.
Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which has said women and children make up most of the dead. It doesn't say whether those killed are civilians or combatants.
The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced about 90 per cent of the territory's population, leaving people there almost completely dependent on international aid.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

‘Plainly preposterous': Alex Ryvchin slams Albanese government's ban of Hillel Fuld
‘Plainly preposterous': Alex Ryvchin slams Albanese government's ban of Hillel Fuld

Sky News AU

time3 hours ago

  • Sky News AU

‘Plainly preposterous': Alex Ryvchin slams Albanese government's ban of Hillel Fuld

Executive Council of Australian Jewry Co-CEO Alex Ryvchin has called for the Australian government's ban of Israeli-American speaker Hillel Fuld from the country to be 'overturned'. US ambassador to Israel has stepped in after the Albanese government quietly cancelled the travel visa of Hillel Fuld who was due to visit in the coming weeks. 'It's a plainly proposterous decision; Hillel Fuld is a tech entrepreneur, he is an expert in his field, he is an uncontroversial figure,' Mr Rvychin told Sky News host Peta Credlin. 'To think that he was someone that could be deemed of such ill character, that he should be excluded and banned from entering this country, is absurd.'

US ambassador to Israel intervenes after Hillel Fuld's banning from Australia
US ambassador to Israel intervenes after Hillel Fuld's banning from Australia

Sky News AU

time3 hours ago

  • Sky News AU

US ambassador to Israel intervenes after Hillel Fuld's banning from Australia

Sky News host Peta Credlin says the US ambassador to Israel has stepped in after the Albanese government quietly cancelled the travel visa of Israeli-American tech advocate Hillel Fuld who was due to visit in the coming weeks. In a decision statement, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke cited 'islamophobia rhetoric' which risked inciting discord against Australia's Muslim population. The appeal to have the decision overturned came hours after the Australian Jewish Association (AJA) called on the Trump administration to intervene in what it called an 'attack' on Jewish Australians.

Gaza aid ship seized
Gaza aid ship seized

ABC News

time3 hours ago

  • ABC News

Gaza aid ship seized

Annie Guest: The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it's taking a group of pro-Palestinian activists to Israel after Israeli commandos seized their vessel in international waters. The ship, called the Medline, launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was about 160 kilometres from Gaza when it was stopped, with allegations made about the possible use of chemical weapons on the activists. Dijana Damjanovic reports. Dijana Damjanovic: The charity organisation running the mission says this video, which is yet to be verified, shows the moment the Medline was intercepted. The group says just after 1am local time, four speedboats approached their ship and then two drones sprayed a thick, white, paint-like substance onto the vessel before Israeli soldiers boarded it. Yasmin Akar is a 37-year-old activist from Germany. This video of her was posted on the group's social media account. Yasemin Acar: We are masking our face right now. We have protectors right above our heads. We don't know what this is, if this is paint or some chemical. No idea, but please sound the alarm. Dijana Damjanovic: The group says all on board have been detained and contact with them has been lost. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition is a group of international activists attempting to deliver aid and supplies into Gaza, including food, baby formula and crutches. It's understood prominent Swedish activist, 22-year-old Greta Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a French ambassador of the European Parliament, are part of the crew. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the crew was taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod. In a written statement, it described the ship as a selfie yacht full of celebrities. It also said: Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs: While Greta and the 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 years. And in addition, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has distributed close to 11 million meals directly to civilians in Gaza. There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip. They do not involve Instagram selfies. Dijana Damjanovic: Francesca Albanese is the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories. Annie Guest: Dijana Damjanovic reporting there.

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