Israeli military intercepted the sailboat Madleen carrying Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg among other activists early Monday and they are being transported to Israel, the the Israel Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
‘Gaza Freedom Flotilla is currently en route to Israel, safe and in good spirits, the Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday.
It said the “selfie yacht” carrying Greta and other passengers is making its way toward Israeli shores, with all onboard reported safe and unharmed. The Ministry added that passengers were provided with sandwiches and water during the journey.
Thunberg had set sail from Sicily on June 1 on the Madleen, part of the Freedom Flotilla coalition, loaded with food and medical supplies for Gaza, according to The Times of Israel.
In a statement posted on X, the Israeli Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) said, “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. While Greta and others attempted to stage a media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain publicity — and which included less than a single truckload of aid — more than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza from Israel within the past two weeks.
In addition, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has distributed close to 11 million meals directly to civilians in Gaza. 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.”
Israeli Navy officials confirmed they are communicating with the vessel through an international civilian communication system. Authorities also said the yacht was instructed to change course as it neared a restricted area.
Meanwhile, The Jerusalem Post reported that the Gaza Freedom Flotilla Coalition said Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) intercepted the flotilla around 3 a.m. on Monday morning, according to a post on the group’s Telegram channel. The post added that all contact with the ‘Madleen’ had been lost, and activists reported being attacked by drones that sprayed a white irritant substance on the boat shortly before the interception.
Posts from the flotilla’s Telegram further stated that the boats’ communication signals were jammed and disturbing sounds were played on their radios. Videos pre-recorded by activists in case they were “kidnapped” by the IDF were also shared. However, there have been no reports so far of any activists being detained.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry noted in a statement around 4 a.m. that the boat was safely making its way to Israeli shores.
The IDF had anticipated intercepting the boat near Gaza’s shore around 2 a.m. local time. Activists onboard the Madleen reported being approached by four to five speedboats, which they believed belonged to the IDF. Yet, activists initially noted the boats left quickly after arriving and that an IDF interception had not occurred as of 2 a.m.
German pro-Palestinian activist Yasemin Acar posted a video on Instagram showing two boats floating close to the Madleen, expressing suspicion that it could be psychological warfare. She said two speedboats came within approximately 200 meters of the vessel.
At about 1 a.m., the ship sounded an alarm warning of a possible interception, and activists were instructed to wear life jackets for their safety.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he ordered the military to stop the boat carrying activists, including Greta Thunberg, and a symbolic amount of aid, including rice and baby formula, from reaching Gaza in defiance of an Israeli blockade.
The coalition also shared a voice memo on Telegram from Thiago Avila, an activist onboard, saying, “we have been surrounded by many lights all at once; they were circling our boat but in the end they kept going their own way.”
Following these events, UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese confirmed on X that the flotilla was intercepted by several Israeli speedboats. The Jerusalem Post reported that Albanese stated she could hear activists speaking with what she believed were IDF soldiers during the flotilla’s online livestream.
Despite this, activists posted on Instagram expressing uncertainty over whether the boats belonged to Israel.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry condemned the activists’ efforts as “dangerous, unlawful, and undermine ongoing humanitarian efforts,” in a statement on X. According to The Jerusalem Post, the Ministry also noted it had advised the Madleen to change course. (ANI)
