Israel forces seize Gaza aid ship carrying Greta Thunberg; activists to return home
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Among those on board the British-flagged yacht Madleen are Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg (left) and Ms Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament.
PHOTOS: REUTERS
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CAIRO – Israeli naval forces boarded and seized a charity vessel carrying Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, which had tried to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip on June 9.
The British-flagged yacht Madleen, operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), had aimed to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza on June 9 to raise international awareness of the humanitarian crisis there.
“If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by Israeli occupational forces or forces that support Israel,” Ms Thunberg, 22, said in a video released by the FCC, filmed before the vessel was captured.
“I urge all my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible.”
The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed that the vessel was under Israeli control. Israel has called Ms Thunberg an “anti-Semite” and dismissed the aid ship as a stunt.
“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 social media platform X.
All passengers were safe and unharmed, the ministry later added. “They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over.”
Ms Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who was also on board, posted on X that the crew had been “arrested by the Israeli army in international waters around 2am”.
A photograph showed the crew seated on the boat, all wearing life jackets, with their hands in the air.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry later distributed a photo showing Ms Thunberg in a green hat and orange life vest, smiling while a soldier held out a sandwich.
Crew arrested
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.
On June 9, Turkey condemned Israel’s seizure of the vessel, which it said was carrying Turkish citizens among its crew, calling the move a “clear violation of international law”.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said the intervention threatened maritime security and “once again demonstrates that Israel is acting as a terror state”.
The Swedish Foreign Ministry said it was in contact with Israeli authorities.
“Should the need for consular support arise, the embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will assess how we can best help the Swedish citizen/Greta Thunberg resolve her situation,” a Swedish Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a written statement to Reuters.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said he has asked Israeli authorities to release the French nationals on board as soon as possible.
The French and Spanish foreign ministries said they had requested consular protection for their citizens on board.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the military on June 8 to prevent the Madleen from reaching Gaza
Mr Katz said he had instructed that upon the boat’s arrival at Ashdod port, the activists would be shown videos of atrocities committed on the Oct 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel.
Hamas condemned the seizure of the boat as “state terrorism” and said it salutes its activists.
Israel imposed a naval blockade on the coastal enclave after Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007 to stop weapons from reaching the militant group, which is designated as a terrorist organisation by Israel and the West.
The blockade has remained in place through multiple conflicts, including the current war, which began on Oct 7, 2023, when more than 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive against Hamas has since killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in Hamas-run Gaza, and left its more than two million population largely displaced and at risk of famine, according to the UN.
UN special rapporteur for the Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese has supported the FFC operation and on June 8 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. REUTERS
