Israeli forces intercept Gaza-bound aid flotilla with Greta Thunberg in overnight raid

Israeli forces seized a charity boat attempting to breach Gaza’s naval blockade in a raid early Monday. The Madleen, carrying 12 crew including activist Greta Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament, was diverted to an Israeli port. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) aimed to deliver symbolic aid and highlight Gaza’s humanitarian crisis.

Israel said it diverted a Gaza-bound boat on Monday after the activists onboard, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, said they were intercepted as they sought to provide relief to the blockaded Palestinian territory.

The Madleen departed from Italy on June 1 to bring awareness to food shortages in Gaza, which the United Nations has referred to as the “hungriest place on Earth”, with the entire population at risk of famine.
The Israeli government had directed its forces to stop the “celebrities yacht” from reaching Gaza.

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Newswire lost contact with the activists onboard the Madleen early Monday morning after the organisers said alarms sounded and life jackets were being prepared.

“If you see this video we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters,” Thunberg said in a pre-recorded video shared by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the activist group operating the vessel.
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In a statement, the coalition said the Israeli military intercepted the Madleen around 3:02am CET (01:02 GMT) just off the coast of Gaza.

Israel’s foreign ministry said it had redirected the boat towards Israeli shores, and expected those onboard to return to their home countries.
“All the passengers of the ‘selfie yacht’ are safe and unharmed. They were provided with sandwiches and water,” the ministry posted on X.

“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,” the ministry added.
In addition to Thunberg, the team on board the Madleen included Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament.

A photograph on Hassan’s X account showed the crew seated on the boat, all wearing life jackets, with their hands in the air.
“The crew of the Freedom Flotilla was arrested by the Israeli army in international waters around 2am” Hassan posted on X.

A message from Hassan’s team posted on X said they had lost contact with the French-Palestinian politician and other Madleen crew members after they were arrested in international waters.