Latest news with #French-Palestinian
The Journal
14 hours ago
- General
- The Journal
Israel vows to 'protect' maritime space as Gaza-bound aid boat reports drones overhead
ISRAEL HAS VOWED to 'protect' its maritime space as a boat full of activists continues its route to Gaza to deliver vital aid to the local population in the besieged strip. The Madleen, one of the boats of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition whose stated aim is to end Israel's blockade of Gaza, departed Sicily on Sunday carrying a dozen people along with long with fruit juices, milk, tinned food and protein bars. Among the crew members are environmentalist Greta Thunberg and French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan, as well as other activists from Germany, Brazil and Spain. Senator Lynn Ruane saw the boat off before it left. They set sail in response to Israel's total aid blockade of the Palestinian enclave since 2 March which has resulted in the deaths of many children due to starvation. More than 90% of the enclave's 2.3 million people are facing acute food shortages, according to aid groups. Advertisement 'Together, we can open a people's sea corridor to Gaza,' the coalition said. But Israel's military responded yesterday, stating it was ready to 'protect' the country's maritime space. When asked about the Freedom Flotilla vessel, army spokesman Effie Defrin said 'for this case as well, we are prepared', declining to go into detail. Israel has stepped up its offensive in Gaza in what it says is a renewed push to defeat Hamas. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Freedom Flotilla Coalition (@gazafreedomflotilla) Overnight, Brazilian activist onboard the Madleen, Thiago Ávila, shared a post to Instagram claiming the vessel is being tightly tracked by Israeli overhead surveillance drones. 'Things are settling down. The drones are now pretty much on a permanent basis around us,' he said. 'We were training all of our participants, and everyone should be prepared for scenario like this. We had two nights of rest. On the third night, the drone started to show up.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Thiago Ávila (@thiagoavilabrasil) Related Reads Israel's defence minister vows to build 'Jewish Israeli state' in the occupied West Bank UN warns all of Gaza at risk of famine as far-right Israeli minister calls for 'full force' Israel announces plans to create 22 new settlements in occupied West Bank The health ministry in Gaza said at least 4,240 people have been killed since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,510, mostly civilians. The IDF said three of its soldiers had been killed in northern Gaza, bringing the number of Israeli troops killed in the territory since the start of the war to 424. It comes as 27 people were killed yesterday in southern Gaza when Israeli troops opened fire near a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid site, with the military saying the incident was under investigation. The GHF announced today that it is suspending its operations as the IDF declared all roads leading to aid distribution centres are from now on 'considered combat zones'. With reporting from AFP Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Greta Thunberg teams up with acting legend to 'break Israeli blockade'
Greta Thunberg and Game of Thrones actor, Liam Cunningham, have teamed up with MEP Rima Hassan on the humanitarian aid ship Madleen which has departed for Gaza. Climate activist Greta Thunberg has joined forces with Game of Thrones icon Liam Cunningham and 11 other activists to set sail for Gaza on a ship aimed at 'breaking Israel's siege'. Carrying all 12 activists, the sailing boat, named Madleen, departed from the port of Catania in Sicily on Sunday, June 1 and is operated by the activist group Freedom Flotilla Coalition. The purpose of the mission is to reach the shores of the Gaza Strip to bring aid supplies and raise 'international awareness' of the ongoing humanitarian crisis, the activists stated at a press conference on Sunday, ahead of the ship's departure. '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,' Thunberg said, tearing up during her speech. Thunberg continued: 'And, no matter how dangerous this mission is, it's nowhere near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the livestreamed genocide.' The Freedom Flotilla Coalition accuses Israel of genocidal acts in its war in Gaza - claims which Israel has denied. Thunberg has been a vocal opponent of Israel's war on Gaza and boarded the ship alongside Liam Cunningham, the Game of Thrones actor, and European parliamentarian Rima Hassan. Hassan, the French-Palestinian human rights activist and lawyer, was denied entry to Israel earlier this year for her outspoken opposition to Israeli attacks on Gaza. Cunningham said of the mission, prior to departure: 'We don't want any harm to come to these people. This is a humanitarian mission, doing what the rest of the world should be doing, including the EU - the European community where I'm from.' The mission departs one month after the Freedom Flotilla Coalition's last humanitarian sailing mission to Gaza failed after the ship was allegedly attacked by two drones while in international waters. Freedom Flotilla Coalition blamed Israel for the attack which damaged the front end of the ship 'Conscience' in early May. 'We are breaking the siege of Gaza by sea, but that's part of a broader strategy of mobilisations that will also attempt to break the siege by land,' said the activist Thiago Ávila of the Madleen voyage. The journey is expected to take seven days, assuming no interference. Several celebrities including actress Susan Sarandon, musician Brian Eno, author Max Porter and Alana Hadid have also participated in a joint video to share their support for Freedom Flotilla's latest mission. "A state on trial for genocide cannot and must not be permitted to decide what aid reaches the people it is trying to destroy," Hadid declares in the video. Full list of the 12 activists onboard the Madleen Baptiste Andre Greta Thunberg Şuayb Ordu Mark van Rennes Omar Faiad Pascal Maurieras Reva Viard Rima Hassan Sergio Toribio Thiago Ávila Yanis Mhamdi Yasemin Acar
Sinar Daily
6 days ago
- Politics
- Sinar Daily
Greta Thunberg to visit Gaza with activists
The trip is organised by the Freedom Flotilla, a coalition of groups opposed to the blockade on humanitarian aid for Gaza that Israel imposed on March 2 and has only recently begun lifting. 30 May 2025 10:28am Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg stages a pro-democracy rally to denounce "authoritarianism" in Georgia and neighbouring Azerbaijan, where the United Nations Climate Change Conference is taking place, in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi on Nov 11, 2024. - (Photo by GIORGI ARJEVANIDZE / AFP) PARIS - Climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and other activists will set sail Sunday for Gaza on a humanitarian ship aimed at protesting Israel's war on the territory, a French-Palestinian lawmaker said. The trip is organised by the Freedom Flotilla, a coalition of groups opposed to the blockade on humanitarian aid for Gaza that Israel imposed on March 2 and has only recently begun lifting. Rima Hassan, a European Parliament member also taking part in the trip, said the operation had "several aims: to condemn the humanitarian blockade and ongoing genocide, the impunity granted to the state of Israel and raise international awareness." Humanitarian aid wait destined to Gaza wait at the Kerem Shalom crossing between southern Israel and the Gaza Strip, on May 29, 2025. - (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) Hassan, an outspoken figure for French left-wing party LFI, has caused controversy in the past with her statements on the Middle East. She was due to visit the occupied Palestinian territories in February with a European Parliament delegation, but said she was refused entry to Israel. Thunberg, who rose to fame organising teen climate protests in her native Sweden, was due to travel to Gaza on a Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship earlier this month, but it was damaged en route. Activists said they suspected an Israeli drone strike was responsible. Displaced Palestinians carrying relief supplies return from an aid distribution centre in the central Gaza Strip on May 29, 2025. - (Photo by EYAD BABA / AFP) "To guarantee our security, and also the success of our mission, we need maximum mobilisation by the public for this initiative," Hassan said on social media. Aid has begun trickling back into Gaza in recent days, but humanitarian groups warn the war-ravaged territory is facing mass starvation. The White House said Thursday Israel had "signed off" on a new Gaza ceasefire proposal by US President Donald Trump, but Palestinian militant group Hamas said it could not accept the deal. - AFP More Like This
NDTV
6 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Climate Activist Greta Thunberg To Visit Gaza
Climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and other activists will set sail Sunday for Gaza on a humanitarian ship aimed at protesting Israel's war on the territory, a French-Palestinian lawmaker said. The trip is organised by the Freedom Flotilla, a coalition of groups opposed to the blockade on humanitarian aid for Gaza that Israel imposed on March 2 and has only recently begun lifting. Rima Hassan, a European Parliament member also taking part in the trip, said the operation had "several aims: to condemn the humanitarian blockade and ongoing genocide, the impunity granted to the state of Israel and raise international awareness." Hassan, an outspoken figure for French left-wing party LFI, has caused controversy in the past with her statements on the Middle East. She was due to visit the occupied Palestinian territories in February with a European Parliament delegation, but said she was refused entry to Israel. Thunberg, who rose to fame organising teen climate protests in her native Sweden, was due to travel to Gaza on a Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship earlier this month, but it was damaged en route. Activists said they suspected an Israeli drone strike was responsible. "To guarantee our security, and also the success of our mission, we need maximum mobilisation by the public for this initiative," Hassan said on social media. Aid has begun trickling back into Gaza in recent days, but humanitarian groups warn the war-ravaged territory is facing mass starvation. The White House said Thursday Israel had "signed off" on a new Gaza ceasefire proposal by US President Donald Trump, but Palestinian militant group Hamas said it could not accept the deal (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Middle East Eye
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Israel denies entry to French-Palestinian lawmaker Rima Hassan
Israel is set to deny entry to Rima Hassan, a French-Palestinian member of the European parliament, at the order of Interior Minister Moshe Arbel based on a recommendation from the Israeli Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism. Hassan had been expected to land from Brussels this afternoon. Often seen with a keffiyeh wrapped around her shoulders - 'my superhero cape', as she described it - Hassan is the granddaughter of Palestinians made refugees in the 1948 Nakba. She has said that in Brussels she will work on her objectives to see Europe 'recognise Palestine as a state to counter Israel's colonisation plans, impose economic sanctions by suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement, enforce an arms export embargo for human rights violations, and implement diplomatic and political sanctions on Israel akin to those on apartheid South Africa until international law is upheld'. You can read more about Hassan here.
