The Israeli Navy stopped the sailboat “Madleen” and its crew of 12 activists, including Swedish climate activist, Greta Thunberg, as it approached the Gaza Strip overnight.
The boat was towed to Israel’s port of Ashdod, where the passengers will be shown a movie of the atrocities committed by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, before being deported from the country, the Foreign Ministry stated.
The Madleen had begun its journey from Sicily, Italy, last week, traversing the Mediterranean Sea with the declared intention of breaking through the naval blockade around Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid, including baby formula, flour, rice, diapers, women’s sanitary products, water desalination kits and medical supplies.
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Late Sunday night, the Israeli Foreign Ministry released a preparatory statement ahead of the boat’s interception, which it called “the celebrities’ yacht.”
“The maritime zone off the coast of Gaza is closed to unauthorized vessels under a legal naval blockade, consistent with international law. The yacht is claiming that it is delivering humanitarian aid,” the Foreign Ministry stated.
“In fact, it is a media gimmick for publicity (which includes less than a single truckload of aid) — a ‘selfie yacht’. Humanitarian aid is delivered regularly and effectively via different channels and routes,” it continued, stressing that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) alone has distributed some 11 million meals since May 26.
The ministry also emphasized that the maritime area remained “an active conflict area, and Hamas has previously exploited sea routes for terrorist attacks.”
After the boat’s crew refused to change course, Israeli Navy vessels, reportedly carrying the elite Naval commando Shayetet 13, approached and boarded the Madleen.
According to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which organized the mission, the soldiers boarded around 3 a.m. local time, while the boat was sailing in international waters.
The passengers attempted to livestream the incident, but the signal was cut off shortly after. The coalition later released a video showing the activists throwing their phones overboard before raising their hands and waiting to be detained.
The Israeli soldiers were filmed handing out water and sandwiches to the crew before transporting them to Ashdod.
Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that he ordered the IDF to show the activists the “horror video” containing footage of Hamas’ atrocities on Oct. 7.
“It is appropriate that antisemitic Greta and her fellow Hamas supporters see exactly who the Hamas terrorist organization they came to support and for whom they are working is, what atrocities they committed against women, the elderly and children, and against whom Israel is fighting to defend itself,” he said.
The crew of activists hail from Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Turkey and Brazil, and included several well-known anti-Israel and antisemitic individuals besides Thunberg, including actor Liam Cunningham of “Game of Thrones”-fame, and a French member of the European Parliament, Rima Hassan, who was deported from Israel earlier this year.
In 2010, another attempt to break the naval blockade by a flotilla of ships escalated into violent clashes when the activists attacked the Israeli soldiers as they were boarding. Ten Turkish activists were killed by Israeli fire and several soldiers were injured.
In its latest statement on Monday morning, the Foreign Ministry reported, “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 statement reiterated that the boat crew’s “media provocation” included less than a single truckload of aid.
“There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip — they do not involve Instagram selfies. 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.”
This article was originally published by All Israel News.
ALL ISRAEL NEWS is based in Jerusalem and is a trusted source of news, analysis and information from Israel to our Christian friends around the world.
