The Israeli army intercepted a vessel carrying aid trying to break the sea blockade of the Gaza Strip and redirected the humanitarian ship that had climate activist Greta Thunberg and other activists on board to Israel, the Associated Press reported.
The UK-flagged yacht Madleen, owned by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), had sailed out of Sicily on June 6, with a view to arriving in Gaza later that day when Israeli forces interceded, the group announced on their Telegram account.
In a post on X, the Israeli Foreign Ministry stated, "The 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities' is making its safe way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are going to return to their countries. All the passengers on the 'selfie yacht' are safe and sound. They were given sandwiches and water. The show is over."
But the Freedom Flotilla Coalition blamed Israel for having "forcibly intercepted" the Madleen and behaving with "total impunity." The FFC called the incident their aid vessel being "unlawfully boarded at around 3:02 am CET, its unarmed civilian crew abducted and its life-saving cargo including baby formula, food and medical supplies seized.
Huwaida Arraf, an organizer with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, said, "Israel has no legal right to detain international volunteers on board the Madleen.
The aid vessel, crewed by 12 staff with Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and French Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan among them, was transporting a light cargo of humanitarian aid—like rice and infant formula—bound for the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military stopped the ship and diverted it to Israeli shores.
The Israeli army arrested the crew of the Freedom Flotilla in international waters at about 2 am," Hassan tweeted on X.
Israel had blockaded Gaza by sea in 2007 after Hamas' capture of the region. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz had previously ordered the military to prevent the Madleen from entering Gaza, and referred to the attempt as a propaganda trip for Hamas.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition responded, contesting Israel's version of events on the basis of the blockade being illegal. They termed Katz's remarks as Israel threatening civilians with illegal force and rationalizing violence by "smears" in a report by BBC.
"We will not be intimidated. The world is watching. Israel has no right to block our attempt to reach Gaza," declared FFC Press Officer Hay Sha Wiya.
Israel's sea blockade has continued in place amid various conflicts, such as the ongoing hostilities that were initiated following Hamas' assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, which according to Israel claimed the lives of approximately 1,200 individuals. In return, Israeli attacks, according to Gaza's health ministry, have reportedly killed more than 54,000 Palestinians.
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