Gaza aid boat with Greta Thunberg on board arrives in Israel after interception
An aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg and supplies for Gaza has docked in Israel after being taken over by the country’s military.
Greta Thunberg was among 12 activists trying to break Israel’s blockade of the Palestinian territory by delivering flour, rice, baby formula, and other basic supplies amid a humanitarian crisis.
The British-flagged boat, Madleen, was intercepted by the Israeli armed forces early today, and docked in the port of Ashdod after 9pm in Israel (7pm in the UK).
There the detained campaigners will be shown a screening of the October 7 attacks before being deported.
The Freedom Flotilla, which organised the trip, claimed the group was ‘kidnapped by Israeli forces’ and that the boat was ‘unlawfully boarded’.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said in an X post: ‘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.’
As the Madleen came close to the end of its journey, with an online tracker showing the ship in the Mediterranean off the coast of Egypt, Israel vowed to intervene to prevent it from landing.
Writing on X, Israel Katz said: ‘I have instructed the IDF to act to prevent the ‘Madeleine’ hate flotilla from reaching the shores of Gaza – and to take whatever measures are necessary to that end.
‘To the anti-Semitic Greta and her fellow Hamas propaganda spokespeople, I say clearly: You should turn back – because you will not reach Gaza.
‘Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade or assist terrorist organisations – at sea, in the air, and on land.’
He said that the naval blockade of Gaza is aimed at preventing Hamas from importing arms.
Today, he congratulated the IDF for a ‘quick and safe takeover’.
Before the takeover, the Freedom Flotilla said the crew were ‘calm and prepared in the face of possible Israeli aggression’.
Activists on board have been sharing footage and photos of their journey on social media, but yesterday said they feared being ‘cut off from the world’ with communications jammed.
They have now lost contact: UN special rapporteur, Francesca Albanese, who had been in touch with crew and posting regular updates, said the last she heard from them was when the soldiers boarded.
A white substance was dropped onto the boat before it was taken over, activists said (Picture: @RimaHas/x)
Greta Thunberg before setting off to Gaza.
Climate activist Greta Thunberg, 22, set sail to Gaza in early June (Picture: Getty Images)
Before this, the crew reported to her that a white substance looking like ‘paint’ had been poured onto the vessel from drones.
Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, said: ‘The operation of intercepting and blocking the Madleen in the middle of the night and in international waters violates international law and puts the safety of those on the boat at risk.’
She said it showed ‘chilling contempt for legally binding orders’ and called for those on board to be ‘released immediately and unconditionally’ as well as protected from ill-treatment, accusing Israel of ‘consistently and deliberately imped[ing] the provision of impartial humanitarian assistance for civilians in desperate need’.
The Madleen departed Sicily last Sunday on a mission that aimed to break the sea blockade of Gaza and deliver a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid, while raising awareness over the growing crisis.
Its crew includes citizens of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Brazil and Spain, as well as Sweden, and it is sailing under a UK flag.
Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent, was among those onboard Madleen.
She has been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies towards the Palestinians.
The Madleen was never expected to reach Gaza, as previous efforts had all been stopped by Israel.
Freedom Flotilla spokespeople say that a sister vessel, Conscience, was attacked by two drones in international waters off the coast of Malta in May, preventing it from going further.
The group blamed Israel for the attack, which damaged the front section of the ship. The country has not commented.
After a three-month total blockade aimed at pressuring Hamas, Israel started allowing some basic aid into Gaza last month, but humanitarian workers have warned of famine unless the blockade and the war end.
Last month, Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of UNRWA, the UN agency, which supports Palestinian refugees, told Metro that hunger was being used as a weapon of war in the Palestinian territory.
‘We are used to different types of malnutrition, created by climate change, by drought, by conflict,’ he said.
‘In the context of Gaza, it is none of that, it is man-made from the start to what we see today.’
Yesterday, a source told the Jerusalem Post that the IDF was expected to intercept the vessel within 48 hours.
On June 4, 19 British MPs signed a motion to ‘stand in solidarity’ with the crew of 12 on board, saying they ‘support the statement by UN experts that the people of Gaza have the right to receive aid through their own territorial waters even under occupation’ and that ‘Israel must not interfere with its freedom of navigation, long recognised under international law’.
Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the October 7 attack on Israel and abducted 251 hostages, more than half of whom have since been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Hamas is still holding 55 hostages, more than half of them believed to be dead.
Israel’s military campaign since has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which has said women and children make up most of the dead. It does not say whether those killed are civilians or combatants.
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