Latest news with #ThiagoÁvila
The Journal
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Journal
Another Gaza-bound aid ship stopped by Israeli forces in international waters
ISRAELI FORCES HAVE intercepted another humanitarian aid ship carrying pro-Palestinian activists in international waters, in what campaigners have called an 'unlawful' and 'violent' act against civilians attempting to deliver relief to Gaza. The Handala, a refurbished fishing boat operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), was stopped last night around 100km off the coast of Gaza and 50km from Egypt. The vessel was carrying aid supplies including baby formula, nappies, food, and medicine, intended for civilians in the besieged territory. In a statement on X, Israel's foreign ministry said its navy had prevented the Handala, registered as Navaren, from 'illegally entering the maritime zone of the coast of Gaza'. It said the vessel was 'safely making its way to the shores of Israel' and that 'all passengers are safe'. 'Unauthorised attempts to breach the blockade are dangerous, unlawful, and undermine ongoing humanitarian efforts,' the statement added. Video footage from the Handala showed passengers with their hands raised in surrender and singing the anti-fascist anthem Bella Ciao as Israeli soldiers boarded. The Handala has just been illegally intercepted by the Zionist entity of Israel while carrying baby formula to starving children — Thiago Ávila | Gaza Freedom Flotilla (@thiagoavilabr) July 26, 2025 The livestream was cut shortly afterward, and the FFC later said that communication systems and cameras on board had been disabled. 'The unarmed boat was carrying life-saving supplies when it was boarded by Israeli forces, its passengers abducted, and its cargo seized,' the FFC said. The group claims the vessel was intercepted in international waters at 11.43pm local time. Advertisement Among the 21 people aboard were human rights campaigners, two Al Jazeera journalists, and elected representatives from France's national and European parliaments. One of the coalition's steering committee members, Ann Wright, said in a statement that the ship's seizure 'is not a matter of internal Israeli jurisdiction.' 'These are foreign nationals operating under international law in international waters. Their detention is arbitrary, unlawful, and must end,' Wright said. Gaza blockade The interception comes just over a month after another Freedom Flotilla vessel, the Madleen, was stopped en route to Gaza. That ship carried 12 activists, including Greta Thunberg, and was also attempting to deliver aid in defiance of Israel's naval blockade. Activists of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition aboard the Madleen boat in June. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo The blockade, enforced by Israel since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007, has been widely criticised for exacerbating a humanitarian crisis. Since 2 March, Israel has largely restricted the entry of aid into the territory, prompting warnings from the UN and humanitarian organisations of mass starvation and a looming famine. The Handala's mission was part of what the flotilla organisers called a 'people's humanitarian corridor'. The group has called for the immediate release of those on board and for governments to intervene. Today, Israel's military announced the opening of humanitarian corridors and limited daily pauses in military operations to allow the delivery of aid . Additional 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
Express Tribune
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Israel kills 60 in Gaza, Greta Thunberg, Madleen crew to be deported
Climate activist Greta Thunberg and 11 other crew members of the Madleen flotilla are being deported after being detained when the vessel was seized by Israeli commandos in international waters, approximately 185 km from Gaza. Greta Thunberg just departed Israel on a flight to Sweden (via France). — Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) June 10, 2025 The Madleen, which was attempting to break Israel's blockade on Gaza, was towed to Israel's Ashdod Port. The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed that the crew, which includes Al Jazeera correspondent Omar Fayyad, will be deported shortly. Earlier, Israeli naval forces had seized the Madleen, a civilian aid vessel headed for Gaza, in international waters approximately 185km from the besieged Palestinian enclave. The ship, organised by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and registered in the United Kingdom, was intercepted early Monday. Read: Aid ship bound for Gaza hit by drones, catches fire off Malta Video footage taken before communication was lost shows the unarmed crew—activists and journalists from across Europe and the Americas—seated with hands raised as Israeli commandos boarded the ship. The vessel was reportedly carrying essential supplies, including food, baby formula, and medical items. Among the 12 detained are high-profile climate activist Thunberg, Brazilian organiser Thiago Ávila, French Member of European Parliament Rima Hassan and journalist Omar Fayyad from Al Jazeera. Read more: Madleen set to reach Palestinian waters within a day: Rima Hassan Before contact was lost, passengers said Israeli drones sprayed the ship with a thick white substance that caused burning and irritation. Analysts believe it may have been a tracking compound rather than Israel's commonly used 'skunk water'. Human rights experts have described the seizure as a breach of international law and a violation of the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) provisional measures, which demand unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza. 'This is not only an act of state piracy. It's in direct violation of the ICJ's orders,' said Mouin Rabbani, non-resident fellow at the Qatar-based Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies. Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila had recorded a message before departure, stating: 'If you're watching this, I've been kidnapped…we count on you'. He called on the international community to ensure their release and to end the blockade. Vídeo gravado por Thiago Ávila caso fosse sequestrado pelos sionistas — Instituto Brasil-Palestina 🇵🇸 (@Ibraspal) June 9, 2025 Meanwhile, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs downplayed the mission as a 'selfie yacht' stunt, suggesting 'celebrities' were seeking media attention rather than pursuing a humanitarian goal. Critics called the statement degrading and warned it could constitute a war crime under international law. The Israeli Defence Ministry said the operation had been ordered by Minister Israel Katz, who labelled the voyage a 'propaganda effort in support of Hamas.' The vessel's interception follows a pattern of restrictions and violence around aid deliveries to Gaza. According to human rights monitors, more than 100 Palestinians have been killed while attempting to access food in recent weeks. UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese said, 'Israel has no authority over Gaza. The people of Gaza need to be helped, not blockaded'. While #Madleen must be released immediately, every Mediterranean port should send boats with aid, solidarity, and humanity to Gaza. They shall sail together—united, they will be unstoppable.#BreakingTheSiege is a legal duty for states, and a moral imperative for all of us. — Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) June 9, 2025 This latest interception comes just weeks after another FFC aid vessel - Conscience - was attacked by drones while sailing in international waters off Malta. The coalition accused Israel of targeting the ship, which suffered major damage to its hull. 'Armed drones attacked the front of an unarmed civilian vessel twice, causing a fire and a substantial breach in the hull,' the group said at the time. Thunberg, who was aboard the intercepted yacht, said she had initially planned to join the earlier voyage. 'I was part of the group who was supposed to board that boat today to continue the voyage towards Gaza, which is one of many attempts to open up a humanitarian corridor and to do our part to keep trying to break Israel's illegal siege on Gaza,' she told Reuters. 'This attack caused an explosion and major damage to the vessel, which made it impossible to continue the mission.' Read more: Palestinian death toll mounts with over 100 killed during Eid Israel's war on Gaza Israel has continued its military campaign in Gaza despite widespread international calls for a ceasefire, with nearly 54,900 Palestinians reported killed since October 2023, most of them women and children, according to Gaza's health authorities. Aid agencies warn that over 2 million residents of the besieged enclave face acute risks of famine and displacement. In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, citing allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Gaza conflict. Israel is also currently facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its military operations against Palestinian civilians in the territory.
The Journal
10-06-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Israel says Gaza-bound aid boat activists awaiting deportation
SWEDISH CAMPAIGNER GRETA Thunberg and other activists detained aboard a Gaza-bound aid boat have been taken to a Tel Aviv airport for deportation, Israel has said, after naval forces intercepted their vessel. The activist group departed Italy on 1 June aboard the Madleen carrying food and supplies for Gaza, whose entire population the UN has warned is at risk of famine. Activist Thiago Ávila with the Madleen. Israeli DFA Israeli DFA Their aim was to break the ongoing siege of Gaza and deliver a symbolic amount of aid to the people on the ground. However, Israeli forces intercepted the boat in international waters yesterday and prevented the group from reaching the Palestinian territory. The campaign behind the endeavour, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, confirmed the latest in a statement: Freedom Flotilla Coalition / X (Formerly Twitter) It said all 12 campaigners were 'being processed and transferred into the custody of Israeli authorities'. 'They may be permitted to fly out of Tel Aviv as early as tonight,' it said on social media. Overnight, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said the group were at Ben Gurion Airport being processed for deportation. Israel Foreign Ministry / X (Formerly Twitter) 'The passengers of the 'Selfie Yacht' arrived at Ben Gurion Airport to depart from Israel and return to their home countries,' the Israeli foreign ministry said on X. 'Those who refuse to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial authority.' Advertisement Israel seized Madleen Video released yesterday by the group showed the activists with their hands up as Israeli forces boarded the vessel, with one of them saying nobody was injured. Israel's actions have been condemned, with Turkey saying the interception was a 'heinous attack' and Iran denouncing it as 'a form of piracy' in international waters. French President Emmanuel Macron requested that the six French nationals aboard the boat 'be allowed to return to France as soon as possible', a presidential official said. The moment Israeli troops seized the Madleen. Israel DFA Israel DFA Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Harris, yesterday released a statement, praising the crew of the Madleen for highlighting the 'urgent and essential need to end the blockade on humanitarian aid' in Gaza. He said, 'What has happened is another effort by the Israeli authorities to stop the entry of aid'. Simon Harris TD / X (Formerly Twitter) In May, another Freedom Flotilla ship, the Conscience, was damaged in international waters off Malta as it headed to Gaza, with the activists saying they suspected an Israeli drone attack. A 2010 Israeli commando raid on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, which was part of a similar attempt to breach the naval blockade, left 10 civilians dead. On Sunday, Israel's Defence Minister, Israel Katz, said the blockade, in place for years before the Israel-Hamas war, was needed to prevent Palestinian militants from importing weapons. Journalists on board The Madleen was intercepted about 185 kilometres (115 miles) west of the coast of Gaza, according to coordinates from the coalition. Two of the crew are journalists, Omar Fayyad of Qatar-based Al Jazeera and Yanis Mhamdi who works for online publication Blast, according to media rights group Reporters Without Borders, which condemned their detention and called for their 'immediate release'. Al Jazeera 'categorically denounces the Israeli incursion', the network said in a statement, demanding the reporter's release. Adalah, an Israeli NGO offering legal support for the country's Arab minority, said the activists on board the Madleen had requested its services, and that the group was likely to be taken to a detention centre before being deported. Related Reads Activists including Greta Thunberg docked in Israel after troops took control of Gaza aid boat Activist aid ship Madleen reaches Egyptian coast as it heads for Gaza Israeli forces kill at least 36 Palestinians, says Gaza civil defence agency Israel is facing mounting pressure to allow more aid into Gaza to alleviate widespread shortages of food and basic supplies. In what organisers called a 'symbolic act', hundreds of people launched a land convoy on Monday from Tunisia with the aim of reaching Gaza. 'Our children are dying' Israel recently allowed some deliveries to resume after barring them for more than two months and began working with the newly formed, US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. But humanitarian agencies have criticised the GHF, and the United Nations refuses to work with it, citing concerns over its practices and neutrality. Dozens of people have been killed near GHF distribution points since late May, according to Gaza's civil defence agency. In Gaza City on Monday, displaced Palestinian Umm Mohammed Abu Namous told AFP that she hopes 'that all nations stand with us and help us, and that we receive 10 boats instead of one'. 'We are innocent people,' she said. 'Our children are dying of hunger… We do not want to lose more children because of hunger.' The 2023 Hamas attack that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says at least 54,880 people, the majority civilians, have been killed in the territory since the start of the war. The UN considers these figures reliable. Out of 251 taken hostage during the Hamas attack, 54 are still held in Gaza, including 32 the Israeli military says, are dead. Additional 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
Express Tribune
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Gaza-bound humanitarian vessel Madleen seized by Israeli forces
Listen to article Israeli naval forces have seized the Madleen, a civilian aid vessel headed for Gaza, in international waters approximately 160km (100 miles) from the besieged Palestinian enclave. The ship, organised by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and registered in the United Kingdom, was intercepted early Monday. Israeli authorities confirmed they are escorting the crew to Ashdod, a port city in southern Israel. Video footage taken before communications were lost shows the unarmed crew—activists and journalists from across Europe and the Americas—seated with hands raised as Israeli commandos boarded the ship. The vessel was reportedly carrying essential supplies including food, baby formula and medical items. Among the 12 detained are high-profile climate activist Greta Thunberg, Brazilian organiser Thiago Ávila, French Member of European Parliament Rima Hassan, and journalist Omar Faiad from Al Jazeera Mubasher. READ: Madleen set to reach Palestinian waters within a day: Rima Hassan Before contact was lost, passengers said Israeli drones sprayed the ship with a thick white substance that caused burning and irritation. Analysts believe it may have been a tracking compound rather than Israel's commonly used 'skunk water'. Human rights experts have described the seizure as a breach of international law and a violation of the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) provisional measures, which demand unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza. 'This is not only an act of state piracy. It's in direct violation of the ICJ's orders,' said Mouin Rabbani, non-resident fellow at the Qatar-based Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies. Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila had recorded a message prior to departure, stating: 'If you're watching this, I've been kidnapped… we count on you.' He urged international pressure to ensure their release and to end the blockade. Vídeo gravado por Thiago Ávila caso fosse sequestrado pelos sionistas — Instituto Brasil-Palestina 🇵🇸 (@Ibraspal) June 9, 2025 The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs downplayed the mission as a 'selfie yacht' stunt, suggesting activists sought media attention rather than humanitarian goals. Critics called the statement degrading and warned it could constitute a war crime under international law. The Israeli Defence Ministry said the operation had been ordered by Minister Israel Katz, who labelled the voyage a 'propaganda effort in support of Hamas.' The vessel's interception follows a pattern of restrictions and violence around aid deliveries to Gaza. According to human rights monitors, more than 100 Palestinians have been killed while attempting to access food in recent weeks. UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese said: 'Israel has no authority over Gaza. The people of Gaza need to be helped—not blockaded.' While #Madleen must be released immediately, every Mediterranean port should send boats with aid, solidarity, and humanity to Gaza. They shall sail together—united, they will be unstoppable.#BreakingTheSiege is a legal duty for states, and a moral imperative for all of us. — Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) June 9, 2025 This latest interception comes just weeks after another FFC aid vessel (the Conscience) was attacked by drones while sailing in international waters off Malta. The coalition accused Israel of targeting the ship, which suffered major damage to its hull. 'Armed drones attacked the front of an unarmed civilian vessel twice, causing a fire and a substantial breach in the hull,' the group said at the time. READ MORE: Aid ship bound for Gaza hit by drones, catches fire off Malta Greta Thunberg, who was aboard the intercepted yacht, said she had initially planned to join the earlier voyage. 'I was part of the group who was supposed to board that boat today to continue the voyage towards Gaza, which is one of many attempts to open up a humanitarian corridor and to do our part to keep trying to break Israel's illegal siege on Gaza,' she told Reuters. 'This attack caused an explosion and major damage to the vessel, which made it impossible to continue the mission.' Israel's war on Gaza Israel has continued its military campaign in Gaza despite widespread international calls for a ceasefire, with nearly 54,900 Palestinians reported killed since October 2023—most of them women and children, according to Gaza's health authorities. Aid agencies warn that over 2 million residents of the besieged enclave face acute risks of famine and displacement. READ: Palestinian death toll mounts with over 100 killed during Eid In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, citing allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Gaza conflict. Israel is also currently facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its military operations against Palestinian civilians in the territory.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'Freedom Flotilla' Tries Again To Break Israel's Blockade On Gaza
Activists from seven different countries set sail on Sunday for Gaza in hopes of breaking Israel's blockade on the ravaged territory and delivering desperately needed humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people. Organized by the grassroots Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the small sailboat named 'Madleen' launched from the Sicilian port of Catania and will journey across international waters in an effort to reach Gaza's ports, with some aid and 12 activists in tow. 'All of us here have families, and we wish we didn't have to do this,' Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila said at a virtual panel Sunday while on board. 'But families just like ours are being bombed. And children just like my baby, they're being amputated without anesthesia. And we cannot stay still.' Among those joining Ávila on the journey is Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Irish actor Liam Cunningham, retired U.S. Army Col. Ann Wright and European Parliament member Rima Hassan. Israel banned Hassan, a French member of Palestinian descent, from entering the country after she vocally opposed the siege on Gaza. '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 through tears before boarding the vessel. 'And no matter how dangerous this mission is, it is nowhere near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of a livestreamed genocide.' The boat is expected to reach Gaza's territorial waters in approximately seven days. The public can follow the Madleen's journey via a tracker on the FFC's website, an effort the group says will help maintain transparency about its location, ensure safety of those on board and hold potential aggressors accountable for any actions. The newly departed civilian ship is the FFC's second attempt this year to get aid to Gaza. A month earlier, a boat called 'Conscience' was carrying humanitarian assistance and 18 civilians when it was bombed twice off the coast of Malta. The FFC maintains that Israel was responsible for the May 2 attack on international waters, though the Maltese and European Union authorities have yet to allow an independent investigation into it. 'We know the risks. We know how violent they are ― they just bombed our mission four weeks ago, they killed 10 of our participants 15 years ago,' Ávila said. 'What we know is that despite their hate, despite their violence, we are part of something huge.' Gaza has been under siege for nearly 19 months by Israeli forces, leading to the humanitarian catastrophe it's experiencing today. Israel came under intense backlash this year for enacting a total blockade on all aid that lasted months, leading to a mass starvation crisis that much of the international community has considered a violation of international law. 'What we have seen in the past three months … this is the final collapse,' U.N. special rapporteur Francesca Albanese said Sunday. 'This is the nail in the coffin of humanitarianism, whatever it means.' The Madleen is carrying aid like baby formula, flour, rice, diapers, women's sanitary products, water desalination kits and medical supplies. The goal of the trip is not only to deliver the aid, the FFC says, but to also bring international solidarity and awareness to the crisis in hopes of challenging Israel's 18-year policy of controlling the land, air and sea around Gaza. 'Israel has created a death camp whose walls have to be broken down, and yet we are waiting for Israel to give us permission to go in,' human rights attorney Huwaida Arraf said last month. 'And until when? Until it's too late? It's already too late for so many. And so because our governments are failing, we have been trying to act.' Israel and the United States recently launched its widely condemned aid distribution system in Gaza, in an effort to replace the well-oiled network long established by the U.N. agency responsible for helping the Palestinian population (UNRWA). The new system requires Palestinians to trek farther distances for even a chance at food, though it has already proven unable to handle the breakdown of order resulting from a desperate, starving population. On Sunday, Israeli forces killed dozens of Palestinians who were on their way to receive food at an aid site. 'We are not going to stop trying to get to the people of Gaza, even if we have to go on a raft,' Arraf said. 'And we encourage all of civil society to keep acting the way they are, and we hope those that claim leadership of this global community will join and do what's right and stop being complicit in the extermination of Palestine.'
