Israeli forces have taken control of the British-flagged sailing vessel, Madleen, which was chartered by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) and was en route to the Gaza Strip, defying Israel’s naval blockade.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry announced that the “celebrity” yacht would be safely brought to Israel’s shores, stating, “Those on board are expected to return to their homes.”
“While Greta (Thunberg) and others attempted to stage a media event solely for publicity—bringing a mere fraction of humanitarian aid that could fit in a truck—over 1,200 humanitarian aid trucks have entered Gaza from Israel in the past two weeks. Additionally, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has provided nearly 11 million meals directly to Gaza residents,” the ministry’s statement indicated.
A statement from the Ministry of Health and Human Services emphasized that there are effective ways to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza that don’t rely on social media attention. It noted, “The limited aid that was on the yacht, not consumed by the ‘celebrities,’ will be transported to Gaza through proper humanitarian channels.”
The FFC, which chartered the Madleen, informed via Telegram that “communication with the Madleen has been lost. The Israeli army has seized the vessel,” and described the occupants as having been “abducted by Israeli forces.”
The Madleen set off from Sicily on June 1 with the intention of breaching Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza to deliver a symbolic quantity of humanitarian aid. Its last reported location was approximately 31 nautical miles away from the Gaza Strip.
Crew Members
Pearlier, Rima Hassan, a Palestinian-born French MEP who was among the activists on board, including Greta Thunberg from Sweden and Thiago Avila from Brazil, reported via her X account that five Israeli speedboats had approached the Madleen.
On Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the military to prevent the vessel and its symbolic humanitarian cargo from reaching Gaza.
“I instructed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to take action to stop the Madleen from arriving in Gaza,” he stated. “To anti-Semitic activists like Greta and her peers spreading Hamas propaganda, I say clearly: Turn back, as you will not reach Gaza.”
Israeli media reported that the military planned to intercept the sailing vessel before it could reach Gaza, escort it to Ashdod port, and begin the deportation process for its occupants.
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