IDF ordered to intercept Freedom Flotilla before it reaches Gaza
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said on Sunday that Israel will not allow anyone to break its naval blockade of the Palestinian territory, which he said is aimed at preventing Hamas from importing arms.
Swedish climate and social justice campaigner Thunberg is among 12 activists aboard the Madleen, which is operated by the humanitarian organisation Freedom Flotilla Coalition.
READ MORE: Freedom Flotilla urges UK Government to 'protect' ship from Israel as it nears Gaza
The vessel departed Sicily last Sunday on a mission that aims to break the sea blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid, while raising awareness over the growing humanitarian crisis in Palestine.
The activists had said they planned to reach Gaza's territorial waters a week later.
Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent, is among the others onboard. She has been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies towards the Palestinians.
After a three-month total blockade aimed at pressuring Hamas, Israel started allowing some basic aid into Gaza last month, but humanitarian workers have warned of famine unless the blockade and the war end.
An attempt last month by Freedom Flotilla to reach Gaza by sea failed after another of the group's vessels was attacked by two drones while sailing in international waters off Malta. The group blamed Israel for the attack, which damaged the front section of the ship.
The National is running a live blog as the Madleen nears Gaza. You can follow along HERE.
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The Guardian
35 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Israel Katz threatens to use ‘all necessary measures' to stop Gaza bound aid ship
The Israeli defence minister has threatened to 'take all necessary measures' to prevent a humanitarian ship carrying climate campaigner Greta Thunberg from reaching Gaza. The 'Madleen', a boat operated by the activist group Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), says it is attempting to reach the shores of the territory to bring in a symbolic amount of aid and raise international awareness of the continuing humanitarian crisis. But on Sunday, Israel Katz ordered the Israeli military to stop the ship from getting anywhere near Gaza. 'I have instructed the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] to act so that the hate flotilla … does not reach the shores of Gaza – and to take all necessary measures to that end,' the defence minister said in a statement. 'To the antisemitic Greta [Thunberg] and her friends who echo Hamas propaganda, I say clearly: You'd better turn back – because you will not reach Gaza. Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade or to assist terrorist organisations – by sea, by air, and by land.' Thunberg, who has said she is taking part in the mission 'because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity', has rejected previous Israeli accusations of antisemitism. On board the vessel alongside her are the Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham and 10 other activists from Germany, France, Brazil, Turkey, Sweden, Spain and the Netherlands. They include Rima Hassan, a French member of the European parliament of Palestinian descent who has been barred from entering Israel. Responding to Katz on Sunday, they said: 'The statement by Israel's defence minister is yet another example of Israel threatening the unlawful use of force against civilians – and attempting to justify that violence with smears. 'We will not be intimidated,' it added. 'The world is watching.' As of Sunday evening, the Madleen, which left the port of Catania in Sicily, southern Italy, on 1 June, was approximately 160 nautical miles from Gaza. 'We are monitoring the situation closely,' the FFC said. 'We remain calm, resolute, and prepared for the possibility of an Israeli attack. We reiterate our call to world governments to demand that Israel stand down. Israel has no right to obstruct our effort to reach Gaza.' Israel's blockade on Gaza has been in place for years, even before the Israel-Hamas war that erupted in October 2023 after the Hamas attacks on Israel in which 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 251 people were taken hostage. It was slightly eased in mid-May after nearly three months, allowing a limited amount of humanitarian aid into the territory. But malnutrition is spreading, medics and aid workers have warned, with UN officials describing Gaza as 'the hungriest place on Earth'. Katz said on Sunday that the blockade was essential to Israel's national security as it seeks to destroy Hamas. 'The State of Israel will not allow anyone to break the naval blockade on Gaza, whose primary purpose is to prevent the transfer of weapons to Hamas,' he said. More than 54,000 Palestinians have died during Israel's assault, according to Gaza health authorities, with much of the territory reduced to rubble. Israel's plan to concentrate food delivery in hubs guarded by private security contractors and the Israeli military and provided by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has proved to be chaotic and dangerous, critics say. At least four people were killed and others wounded by Israeli fire on Sunday, about a kilometre from a food distribution point in Gaza, Palestinian medics and officials said. The deaths bring the number of people who have been killed while trying to find food in Gaza since 27 May, when GHF became responsible for civilian food provision, to 110. More than 1,000 have been injured. Israel said it was expecting to intercept the flotilla in the next 48 hours. Before leaving Sicily on board the Madleen, which is carrying a symbolic amount of rice and infant formula, Thunberg told reporters: 'We are doing this because, no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying. Because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity. And, no matter how dangerous this mission is, it's not even near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the livestreamed genocide.' Thunberg, who became an internationally famous climate activist after organising protests in her native Sweden, had been due to board a previous Freedom Flotilla ship, the Conscience, last month. It was bombed by drones and disabled while in international waters off Malta as it headed towards the Palestinian territory.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
FBI issues warning about 'elevated threat' to Jewish communities
Security officials have issued an urgent warning about the 'elevated threat' to Jewish communities nationwide following two recent antisemitic attacks. The Federal Bureau of Investigation ( FBI ) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the public service announcement , warning people to stay vigilant as the ongoing violence in Gaza may 'motivate' further attacks. Officials cited two recent threats at the basis for the warning: the May shooting at the Capitol Jewish Museum in Washington DC , and the recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado. 'The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict may motivate other violent extremists and hate crime perpetrators with similar grievances to conduct violence against Jewish and Israeli communities and their supporters,' the release stated. 'Foreign terrorist organizations also may try to exploit narratives related to the conflict to inspire attacks in the United States. 'The FBI and DHS therefore urge the public to remain vigilant and to report any threats of violence or suspicious activity to law enforcement .' The warning comes after 12 people were injured in Boulder during a vigil for the Jewish hostages still held captive by Hamas in Gaza. The group was carrying out a weekly silent walk in solidarity with the hostages as it has done ever since the October 7 attack. But the peaceful protest quickly descended into chaos when 45-year-old Mohamed Soliman allegedly launched a violent attack on a group of about 30 demonstrators, using a flamethrower and Molotov cocktails to set eight victims on fire. The attack left twelve people injured, among them an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor . Soliman's wife and five children were taken into custody by agents with ICE and Homeland Security just two days later. Soliman arrived in the United States from Egypt in August 2022, but overstayed his initial tourist visa and was ultimately handed a two-year work permit by the Biden administration, which he also overstayed, as reported by Fox News . The family was expected to be processed for expedited removal, which would allow authorities to rapidly deport them without a hearing in an immigration court. Authorities said they found 16 unused Molotov cocktails when they arrested Soliman, adding that he only threw two of the devices because 'he was scared and had never hurt anyone before'. Agents also recovered a journal from Soliman's home in which he detailed his plans for the attack, and said he wanted to 'kill all Zionists', according to an affidavit on his arrest. The document also revealed that Soliman plotted the firebombing for over a year, but waited until after his daughter's graduation to conduct the attack. He is now facing 16 counts of attempted murder and federal hate crime charges. The Colorado attack came just over a week after a man was arrested over the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, DC , on May 22. The victims were identified as German-Israeli dual national Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and his girlfriend Sarah Milgrim, 26. The suspect, identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez , repeatedly shouted 'Free Palestine' after shooting them dead - all while police dragged him away. The couple, who were set to get engaged just a week from their deaths, had attended a Young Diplomats event before they were shot that night. In the moments before the deadly shooting, Rodriguez was reportedly seen pacing back and forth before allegedly opening fire on a group of four people standing outside the museum. Jewish human rights organization the Simon Wiesenthal Center told Daily Mail the Boulder attack came on the first day of a religious holiday. He blamed the attack, as well as the murders of the Israeli embassy staffers, on 'months of anti-Israel propaganda, moral equivocation, and silence in the face of raging antisemitism'. 'The nonstop demonization of Israel and Zionism on our campuses, in our streets, and across digital platforms has created a climate where hate flourishes, and physical attacks—even murder—of Jews is inevitable ,' Berk said. Rodriguez had reportedly entered the building and was offered both water and comfort by attendees, who assumed he was a victim of the shooting. According to a witness, after spending about 15 minutes inside the museum in an apparent state of shock, he asked someone to call police and confessed. He was then taken into custody. Rodriguez was charged in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia with the murder of foreign officials, causing death through the use of a firearm, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, according to the United States Attorney's Office . He is also charged with two counts of first-degree murder under the DC criminal code.
Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Freedom Flotilla tracker live as Greta Thunberg aims to break Israel's aid seige
An aid boat carrying some of the biggest activists including Greta Thunberg is just 150 nautical miles from Gaza, campaigners have revealed. The vessel, dubbed Madleen, aims to break the sea blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian support to thousands of people. The boat, which is being operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, left Sicily last Sunday, with the aim to reach Gaza's territorial waters by the end of this week. Thunberg, who is amongst 12 activists aboard the ship, earlier called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. 'We will try to break the siege and open humanitarian corridors to Gaza,' she said. In an update on the ship's whereabouts, human rights campaigner Yasemin Acar said they were close, but warned: "We could be cut out from the world any moment.' She said on Telegram: "We believe that we will reach Gaza, and that's why it's so important that you all play your part in this to make sure that there is no interception. Contact your local politicians. Contact everyone you know, everyone who is in power, everyone that you voted into power. They have the power, first and foremost, to stop this genocide, then they have power to lift this illegal siege." It comes as Israel's defence minister Israel Katz said on Sunday that Israel will not allow anyone to break its naval blockade of the Palestinian territory, which he said is aimed at preventing Hamas from importing arms. He said in a statement: '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.' Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent, is among the others onboard. She has been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies towards the Palestinians. After a three-month total blockade aimed at pressuring Hamas, Israel started allowing some basic aid into Gaza last month, but humanitarian workers have warned of famine unless the blockade and the war end. An attempt last month by Freedom Flotilla to reach Gaza by sea failed after another of the group's vessels was attacked by two drones while sailing in international waters off Malta. The group blamed Israel for the attack, which damaged the front section of the ship. To follow the Madleen vessel on its journey, visit the official Freedom Flotilla tracker here.
