Maldives bans Israeli travelers over ‘continuing atrocities' in Gaza
The Maldives ratified a change this week to its immigration laws to prohibit travelers from entering the country under Israeli passports, in response to Israel's conduct in Gaza.
'The Government of Maldives reaffirms its resolute solidarity with the Palestinian cause and its enduring commitment to the promotion and protection of the rights of the Palestinian people,' the office of President Mohamed Muizzu's said in a statement Wednesday.
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Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Seized Gaza aid boat Madleen carrying Greta Thunberg taken to Israeli port
A Gaza-bound aid boat illegally seized in international waters by Israeli forces has been towed into Ashdod Port, with the dozen international activists who were on board now facing detention and deportation. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which launched the ship to draw international attention to the looming famine in besieged Gaza, said it was captured at about 4:02am (01:02 GMT) on Monday, about 200km (120 miles) from Gaza, arriving at Ashdod as night fell. Earlier, the coalition released a video from the vessel, which left Sicily on June 1, showing the activists – among whom are climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and French member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan – with their hands up as Israeli forces boarded the vessel and 'kidnapped' them. Adalah, a Palestinian legal centre representing the activists, said they were expected to be held at a detention facility before being deported. It said that Israel had 'no legal authority' to take over the ship, which was in international waters, heading not to Israel but to the 'territorial waters of the State of Palestine'. The arrests of the 12 'unarmed activists' amounted to 'a serious breach of international law', it said in a statement. Huwaida Arraf, an FFC organiser, told Al Jazeera there had been no contact with the activists since they had been detained in the early hours of Monday. 'We have lawyers on standby who are going to demand they have access to them tonight – as soon as possible,' she said. The Madleen, she noted, was sailing under a United Kingdom flag when it was forcibly seized by Israeli commandos. 'So Israel went into international waters and attacked sovereign UK territory, which is blatantly unlawful. And we expect strong condemnation, which we have not yet heard from the United Kingdom,' she UK government urged Israel to handle its detention of the activists 'safely with restraint, in line with international humanitarian law'. 'We have made clear our position in relation to the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The PM has called it appalling and intolerable,' said a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territory, said: 'Israel has absolutely no authority to intercept and stop a boat like this, which carries humanitarian aid, and more than everything else, humanity, to the people of Gaza.' Al Jazeera's Nour Odeh, reporting from Jordan's capital Amman, said the activists would be accused of entering Israel illegally. 'These activists had no intention to enter Israel. They wanted to reach the shores of Gaza, which are not part of Israel,' she said. 'But that is how they will be processed, and they will be deported because of that.'Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs portrayed the voyage as a public relations stunt, saying in a post on X that 'the 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities' is safely making its way to the shores of Israel'. It said the passengers were 'undergoing medical examinations to ensure they are in good health', adding that all passengers were expected to return to their home countries. Government spokesperson David Mencer reserved special scorn for 22-year-old Thunberg. 'Greta was not bringing aid, she was bringing herself. And she's not here for Gaza, let's be blunt about it. She's here for Greta,' he said. In a prerecorded video message that was shared by the FFC, Thunberg said: '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.' The Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs said it was in contact with Israeli authorities. 'Should the need for consular support arise, the Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will assess how we can best help the Swedish citizen/Greta Thunberg resolve her situation,' said a spokesperson in a written statement to the Reuters news agency. United States President Donald Trump, who targeted Thunberg in 2019, dismissed her statement. 'I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg,' he said. French President Emmanuel Macron's office said the president had asked Israeli authorities to release the six French nationals on board as soon as possible, calling the humanitarian blockade of Gaza 'a scandal' and a 'disgrace'. Turkey condemned the interception as a 'heinous attack', while Iran denounced it as 'a form of piracy' in international waters. Israeli Minister of Defence Israel Katz said the activists would be shown videos of atrocities committed during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel. Hamas condemned the seizure of the boat as 'state terrorism' and said it saluted its activists. On the ground in Gaza, Israeli forces continued their onslaught, killing 60 Palestinians since dawn, according to medical sources who spoke to Al Jazeera. Among them were three medics, killed in Gaza City, as well as 13 hungry aid seekers, killed near an Israeli- and US-backed aid distribution site in southern Gaza. More than 130 people have been killed near distribution points run by the shadowy Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) since late May. Israel engaged the group to distribute aid amid its total blockade on all imports, including food, fuel and medicine, as Israel ramped up its offensive after breaking its ceasefire agreement with Hamas in United Nations and other aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF, accusing it of lacking neutrality and suggesting the group has been formed to enable Israel to achieve its stated military objective of taking over all of Gaza. 'Israeli authorities have blocked the delivery of safe and dignified aid at scale to the people of Gaza for over three months now,' said the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, on Monday. 'We are not asking for the impossible. Allow us to do our work: assist people in need and preserve their dignity,' it said. On Monday, Israeli aircraft also bombed tents sheltering displaced families in al-Katiba square in Gaza City, causing additional deaths and injuries. They also targeted the Shaarawi and Haddad buildings in the Tuffah neighbourhood, east of Gaza City, resulting in multiple casualties. At least one person was killed and others injured in an artillery attack on Old Gaza Street in Jabalia, in the north. Israel has killed at least 54,927 people in Gaza since the start of the war, a figure estimated to be far lower than the actual death toll.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump: Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg
Israel has 'enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg', Donald Trump said after the aid flotilla she was travelling to Gaza on was seized. The US president described the Swedish activist as an 'angry young person' after her attempt to break the Gaza blockade was thwarted by the Israeli navy. 'She's a strange person. She's a young, angry person. I don't know if it's real anger. It's hard to believe, actually, but I saw what happened,' he said. 'She's certainly different... anger management, I think she has to go to an anger management class.' Credit: WhiteHouse/X Israeli naval forces boarded and seized a charity vessel carrying Thunberg on Monday. The British-flagged yacht, Madleen, which is operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition, had aimed to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza and raise international awareness of the humanitarian crisis there. 'If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by Israeli occupational forces or forces that support Israel,' Ms Thunberg, 22, said in a video released by the FCC, filmed before the vessel was captured. '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.' Freedom Flotilla Coalition Mr Trump dismissed Ms Thunberg's assertion that she had been kidnapped, saying: 'I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg.' This was not the first time Ms Thunberg and the US president have crossed swords. Five years ago, Ms Thunberg displayed her contempt for Mr Trump when, aged only 16, she gave the US president a 'death stare' as he arrived at the United Nations. Ms Thunberg's withering glare, which came ahead of her addressing the UN on climate change, went viral. In February, JD Vance, the US vice-president, took a dig at Ms Thunberg when addressing the Munich Security Conference as he defended the role of Elon Musk in the Trump administration. 'Trust me, I say this with all humour, if American democracy can survive 10 years of Greta Thunberg's scolding, you guys can survive a few months of Elon Musk.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Greta Thunberg Detained But Safe After Israeli Forces Intercept Aid Boat to Gaza
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." 2003–present Israeli forces seized an aid ship bound for Gaza on June 8, detaining Greta Thunberg and 11 other activists on board. The British-flagged ship, the Madleen, was operated by the pro-Palestine Freedom Flotilla Coalition, of which Thunberg is a member. The group had set sail from Italy a week earlier to deliver a symbolic shipment of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, including baby formula and medical supplies, but was intercepted by Israel's naval forces due to their longstanding naval blockade on the Palestinian territory. 'If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by Israeli occupations forces, or forces that support Israel,' the 22-year-old Swedish activist said in a prerecorded video on Instagram. '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.' The Israel Foreign Ministry, which has criticized Thunberg's voyage as a publicity stunt, confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that the Madleen had been redirected to Israel's shores. 'The 'selfie yacht' carrying Greta Thunberg and the other so-called 'celebrities' is continuing its journey toward an Israeli port,' the post read. 'Upon arrival, arrangements will be made for their return to their respective home countries.' The ministry also shared the passengers were safe, unharmed, and provided with food and water. The group will undergo medical examinations before being released. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has been a leader in the international movement to fight climate change since 2018. As a teenager, Thunberg began skipping school on Fridays and protesting outside the Swedish Parliament in the name of climate action. Thanks to social media, her actions have spread and influenced millions of young people all over the world to organize and protest. Thunberg has since traveled the world, meeting with global leaders and speaking at assemblies to demand climate solutions and a recommitment to the Paris Agreement. She has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize five years in a row, from 2019 to 2023. FULL NAME: Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman ThunbergBORN: January 3, 2003BIRTHPLACE: Stockholm, SwedenASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Capricorn Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg was born on January 3, 2003, in Stockholm. The Swedish girl was raised in an artistic family. Her mother, Malena Ernman, is an opera singer, and her father, Svante Thunberg, is an actor. Greta has a younger sister, Beata, who is a popular singer in Sweden. For her part, Greta has utilized her creativity in a different way. She was only 8 when she first learned about the climate crisis. Since then, she has made efforts to lower her carbon footprint by not flying and becoming vegan. She has influenced her family to do the same. At the age of 12, Greta was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, later referring to the disorder as her 'superpower.' Within three years, she became an internationally known activist. Thunberg began her climate activism at age 15. With the simple message 'School strike for climate' handwritten on poster board, the teenager began skipping school on Fridays to protest outside the Swedish Parliament in August 2018. Her demonstrations became known as 'Fridays For Future,' and other concerned youths throughout Europe soon joined the movement to pressure leaders and lawmakers to act on climate change through their regular walkouts. As the face of the climate youth movement, Thunberg has been invited to speak at numerous rallies including ones in Stockholm, London, and Brussels. In December 2018, her speech at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Katowice, Poland—known as COP24—went viral. 'You are not mature enough to tell it like is,' she said at the summit, addressing the Secretary-General. 'Even that burden you leave to us children. But I don't care about being popular. I care about climate justice and the living planet.' Taking a year-long sabbatical from school, Thunberg traveled across the Atlantic on a zero-emissions yacht, accompanied by her father and a supporting crew. Taking a little over two weeks, the yacht arrived in New York City in late August 2019 ahead of several public engagements for Thunberg. She visited with former U.S. President Barack Obama and later spoke before the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Select Committee in Washington D.C. Known for her blunt speaking style, Thunberg barely spoke before the committees and instead pushed forward the latest UN report. 'I don't want you to listen to me,' she said. 'I want you to listen to the scientists.' Two days later, Thunberg walked with millions of protesters in New York City to demand climate action at the New York City Global Climate Strike. The demonstration became the largest climate protest in history with a total of 4 million people marching all over the world. The next day, she spoke at the U.N. Youth Climate Summit. Although the world's eyes were already on the teen activist, her speech on September 21, 2019, at the United Nations Climate Action Summit brought headline news. Speaking before leaders, lawmakers and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Thunberg lambasted them with one of her most indignant speeches. 'You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet I'm one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing,' she said. 'We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!' She added: 'For more than 30 years, the science has been crystal clear. How dare you continue to look away and come here saying that you're doing enough, when the politics and solutions needed are still nowhere in sight... You are failing us. But the young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you choose to fail us, I say: We will never forgive you.' Thunberg's 'How Dare You' speech attracted so much attention that then–U.S. President Donald Trump, a vehement climate change denier, felt compelled to offer a mocking tweet: 'She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!' he wrote. In response, Thunberg changed her Twitter bio temporarily, using Trump's language against him. Her profile read: 'A very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future.' Days later, Thunberg joined 15 other young climate activists to file an official complaint that five countries—Argentina, France, Germany, Brazil, and Turkey—haven't honored their Paris Agreement pledges and have therefore violated the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child treaty. In December 2019, Thunberg was among the speakers at COP25 in Madrid. She also attended another major climate demonstration in the Spanish capital, telling her fellow protesters, 'The hope is not within the walls of COP25; the hope is out here with you.' During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Thunberg briefly moved her activism online, criticizing New Zealand for only committing to reducing carbon emissions by 1 percent. The following spring, in April 2021, she attended the annual Climate Live concert in Berlin, before advocating for the world to change how it produces food to protect both the climate and public health. At the Youth4Climate Summit in September 2021, Thunberg called out world leaders over their 'empty promises' to address the climate crisis, quoting statements from U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, among others. 'Our leaders' intentional lack of action is a betrayal towards all present and future generations,' she said. Thunberg also criticized the organizers of climate conferences, claiming that 'they invite cherry-picked young people to meetings like this to pretend they are listening to us, but they are not.' In October 2022, she published The Climate Book, a collection of essays by climate experts. Thunberg graduated high school in June 2023 and was subsequently arrested at for protesting The Energy Intelligence Forum in London that October. She was charged with failure to comply to a police order to move the 'Oily Money Out' protest to a designated area. Thunberg pleaded not guilty, and the case was later dismissed in February 2024. In March 2019, Thunberg was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her climate activism. However, she lost the award to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Several months later, in December 2019, she was named Time magazine's Person of the Year. At 16 years old, she became the youngest individual to earn the honor. 'Thunberg has become the biggest voice on the biggest issue facing the planet,' the Time editor-in-chief wrote. 'This was the year the climate crisis went from behind the curtain to center stage, from ambient political noise to squarely on the world's agenda, and no one did more to make that happen than Thunberg.' The activist has since been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize four more times, from 2020 to 2023. Thunberg has expanded her activism to include other causes, including in pro-Palestinian advocacy. She first displayed her support for Palestinians in Gaza in October 2023, posting a photo of herself with a 'Stand With Gaza' sign next to three other people. After facing criticism for the post, Thunberg responded, 'It goes without saying - or so I thought - that I'm against the horrific attacks by hamas [sic]. As I said, 'the world needs to speak up and call for an immediate ceasefire, justice and freedom for Palestinians and all civilians affected.'' In May 2024, she was arrested at a protest against the war in Gaza at the University of Copenhagen for blocking the entrance to a building. That same month, Thunberg participated in an encampment at the University of Stockholm, during which she was carried away by police. 'Students put up tents at the library, to say that they have had enough of complicity of the genocide in Gaza,' she wrote on Instagram at the time. After joining the pro-Palestinian group Freedom Flotilla Coalition, she embarked on a voyage to Gaza in June 2025 to deliver a symbolic shipment of aid. A week later, Israeli forces intercepted the boat due to their longstanding naval blockade on Gaza, and Thunberg and several other activists were detained. Within hours, the Israel Foreign Ministry announced that the ship had been redirected to an Israeli port, where the activists would then be sent home. You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet I'm one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you! For more than 30 years, the science has been crystal clear. How dare you continue to look away and come here saying that you're doing enough, when the politics and solutions needed are still nowhere in sight. We can't just continue living as if there was no tomorrow, because there is a tomorrow. People are underestimating the force of angry kids. If they want us to stop being angry, then maybe they should stop making us angry. The planet is outside its comfort zone and we also need to be outside of our comfort zone to prevent the worst consequences from happening. My role is to be one of many, many activists who are pushing for climate action. I don't see myself as a leader, or icon or the face of a movement. Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! You Might Also Like Nicole Richie's Surprising Adoption Story The Story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Her Mother Queen Camilla's Life in Photos
