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News24
a day ago
- Politics
- News24
‘This was nothing but a ridiculous gimmick': Greta Thunberg deported from Israel
Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and other pro-Palestinian volunteers were deported from Israel after their aid ship, seeking to challenge Gaza's naval blockade, was seized by Israeli forces. Thunberg accused Israel of 'kidnapping' her and violating international law. The Israeli Foreign Ministry dismissed the mission as a publicity stunt, asserting that the small quantity of aid aboard the yacht would be transferred to Gaza through official humanitarian channels. Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg was deported from Israel on Tuesday, the day after the Israeli navy prevented her and a group of fellow pro-Palestinian activists from sailing to Gaza. Israeli forces seized their small aid ship, which was seeking to break a longstanding naval blockade of Gaza, and the 12-strong crew were brought to Israel. Four of the group, including Thunberg, agreed to immediate deportation, while the eight others contested the repatriation order. They have been detained near Tel Aviv airport awaiting a court hearing on their legal status. Amongst those who have refused to leave are Rima Hassan, a French member of the European parliament. "We were 12 peaceful volunteers sailing on a civilian ship carrying humanitarian aid on international waters. We did not break laws. We did nothing wrong," Thunberg told reporters after she flew into Paris, accusing Israel of kidnapping her. The 22-year-old Swede said: (There) is a continued violation of international law and war crimes that Israel is systematically committing against Palestinians by not letting aid come to starving people. Israel has imposed a rigid land, air and sea blockade on Gaza, saying the shutdown is needed to prevent arms from reaching Hamas militants. It lets in limited supplies of food that are mainly distributed by a private group it backs. The Israeli Foreign Ministry dismissed the Gaza-bound sea mission as a pro-Hamas publicity stunt. "Greta and her friends brought in a tiny amount of aid on their celebrity yacht. It did not help the people of Gaza. This was nothing but a ridiculous gimmick," Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told reporters on Tuesday. 'Angry women' Saar said the small quantity of supplies aboard the UK-registered yacht would be transferred to Gaza through "real humanitarian channels". Thunberg defended the aid effort, organised by a pro-Palestinian group called the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, saying a larger boat that could carry a bigger cargo was disabled last month in the Mediterranean by drones allegedly operated by Israel. She also laughed off criticism from US President Donald Trump, who had described her as an angry person, saying: "I think the world needs a lot more young angry women to be honest, especially with everything going on right now." She added that it was unclear where she would be heading next, telling reporters it could be Sweden. Thunberg travels mostly by train and has long shunned airplanes because of their hefty carbon emissions. In 2019, she crossed the Atlantic by boat to attend a climate summit. Israel has imposed a naval blockade on Gaza since Hamas took control of the coastal enclave in 2007. It tightened its grip significantly after Hamas-led militants rampaged through southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing more than 1 200 people and taking 251 hostages, by Israeli tallies. Israel's retaliatory offensive against Hamas has since killed nearly 55 000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, and reduced much of the territory to a wasteland. In March, Israel imposed a total blockade of all supplies reaching Gaza, which experts say has driven the population of more than two million to the brink of famine. Over the past two weeks Israel has allowed in limited food supplies largely distributed by a new Israeli-backed group. Israel says the step is necessary to prevent Hamas from diverting aid. Hamas has denied stealing aid.
Khaleej Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Israeli forces seize Gaza aid boat Madleen carrying Greta Thunberg
Israeli forces have taken command of a charity vessel that had tried to break a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip and the boat with its crew of 12 including activist Greta Thunberg is now heading to a port in Israel, officials said on Sunday. The British-flagged yacht Madleen, which is operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), was aiming to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza later on Monday and raise international awareness of the humanitarian crisis there. However, the boat was boarded during the night before it could reach shore, the FFC said on its Telegram account. The Israeli Foreign Ministry later confirmed that it was under Israeli control. "The 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities' is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries," the ministry wrote on X. All passengers were safe and unharmed, the ministry later added. "They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over." Among the 12-strong crew are Swedish climate campaigner Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament. "The crew of the Freedom Flotilla was arrested by the Israeli army in international waters around 2am," Hassan posted on X. A photograph showed the crew seated on the boat, all wearing life jackets, with their hands in the air. The yacht is carrying a small shipment of humanitarian aid, including rice and baby formula. The Foreign Ministry said it would be taken to Gaza. "The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the 'celebrities' will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels," it wrote. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the military on Sunday to prevent the Madleen from reaching Gaza, calling the mission a propaganda effort in support of Hamas. Israel imposed a naval blockade on the coastal enclave after Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007. The blockade has remained in place through multiple conflicts, including the current war, which began after a Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, that killed more than 1,200 people, according to an Israeli tally. Over 54,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of Israel's brutal attacks. The United Nations has warned that most of Gaza's more than 2 million residents are facing famine. The Israeli government says the blockade is essential to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas. The United Nations' special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, has supported the FFC operation and on Sunday, urged other boats to challenge the Gaza blockade. "Madleen's journey may have ended, but the mission isn't over. Every Mediterranean port must send boats with aid and solidarity to Gaza," she wrote on X.
