Israel intercepts Gaza-bound aid ship, detaining Greta Thunberg

Israel has intercepted a Gaza-bound assistance vessel carrying Greta Thunberg and different salient activists, detaining those onboard and taking them to Israel.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) said nan Israeli military had "attacked" and "unlawfully boarded" nan Madleen, which was attempting to present assistance to Gaza – wherever much than 600 days of war, and an 11-week Israeli blockade of each aid, has pushed nan enclave's 2.1 cardinal group deeper into a hunger crisis.

Climate activistic Thunberg and Rima Hassan – a French personnel of nan European Parliament – are among those connected nan Madleen.

"(The vessel) is safely making its measurement to nan shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their location countries," Israel's Foreign Ministry said successful a station connected X connected Monday morning.

The ministry posted a video showing members of nan Madleen unit sitting broadside by broadside wearing orangish life jackets while a solider offers them bottled h2o and plastic-wrapped sandwiches. Thunberg tin beryllium seen sitting adjacent nan beforehand of nan group.

The FFC had earlier said nan vessel had travel "under battle successful world waters", successful a Telegram post.

"Quadcopters are surrounding nan ship, spraying it pinch a achromatic paint-like substance. Communications are jammed, and disturbing sounds are being played complete nan radio," nan FFC said.

A video posted by Israel's Foreign Ministry appeared to show a Navy staffer sending a power connection to nan alloy saying nan "maritime area disconnected nan seashore of Gaza was closed".

In a video livestreamed from nan boat, activistic Yasmin Acar showed a achromatic constituent connected nan deck, saying it had been dropped connected nan vessel. Acar was later heard saying it was affecting her eyes.

The FFC group besides posted a video connected Telegram, showing members of nan unit sitting wrong nan vessel pinch their hands successful nan air.

After losing connection pinch nan vessel, nan FFC began posting pre-recorded video messages from Thunberg and others onboard.

"If you spot this video, we person been intercepted and kidnapped successful world waters by nan Israeli occupational forces, aliases forces that support Israel," Thunberg said successful her video.

In a statement, nan FFC said Israel had acted pinch "total impunity" and that nan vessel's cargo, which included babe formula, nutrient and aesculapian supplies was "confiscated". Israel said it would transportation nan equipment to Gaza done humanitarian channels.

"Israel has nary ineligible authority to detain world volunteers aboard nan Madleen," said Huwaida Arraf, quality authorities lawyer and Freedom Flotilla organiser.

"This seizure blatantly violates world rule and defies nan (International Court of Justice's) binding orders requiring unimpeded humanitarian entree to Gaza."

Israel had many times vowed to extremity nan assistance vessel from reaching Gaza, and described nan vessel arsenic a "selfie yacht" carrying "celebrities".

"I person instructed nan IDF to guarantee that nan 'Madleen' flotilla does not scope Gaza," Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said connected Sunday.

After nan flotilla unit members were detained, Katz said successful a station connected X that he had instructed nan subject to surface videos of nan Hamas attacks connected Israel from October 7, 2023, to nan activists upon their presence astatine Ashdod Port.

Israel's Foreign Ministry said nan group "attempted to shape a media provocation whose sole intent was to summation publicity."

"There are ways to present assistance to nan Gaza Strip – they do not impact Instagram selfies," it added.

In an earlier connection connected Monday, nan ministry said "unauthorised attempts to breach nan blockade are dangerous, unlawful, and undermine ongoing humanitarian efforts".

Hamas demanded nan contiguous merchandise of nan activists and condemned their detention successful a statement, calling nan interception "a flagrant usurpation of world law, and an onslaught connected civilian volunteers acting retired of humanitarian motives".

As nan Madleen was taken to Ashdod, immoderate 15 activists protested nan ship's seizure successful nan city. The demonstrators carried signs reading, "resist genocide", "release nan Madleen activists now" and "stop authorities terror".

While small, nan protestation and nan messaging it carried are a uncommon sighting successful Israel since nan warfare began successful 2023.

"We… person travel to definitive our support and solidarity pinch nan Madleen arsenic portion of nan Freedom Flotilla, whose activists were abducted by Israel," 1 activistic is heard saying successful English.

The demonstrators were interrupted by a passerby who shouted successful Hebrew, "You're surviving successful Israel", calling nan protesters "bullies" and "hooligans".

The Madleen is portion of nan Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an organisation that has campaigned against Israel's blockade of Gaza and tried to break nan siege by boat.

The crew, which had publicised nan location of nan vessel pinch an online tracker, began preparing for nan anticipation of interception by nan Israeli military. On Monday morning, nan UK-flagged civilian alloy was northbound of Egypt successful nan Mediterranean Sea, slow approaching nan seashore of Gaza, but nan locator has since appeared to person stopped.

"We cognize that it's a very risky ngo and we cognize that erstwhile experiences pinch flotillas for illustration this person resulted successful attacks, unit and moreover cases of death," Thunberg told CNN connected Saturday.

Israel imposed a afloat humanitarian blockade of Gaza connected March 2, cutting disconnected food, aesculapian supplies, and different assistance to nan much than 2 cardinal Palestinians who unrecorded successful nan territory for 11 weeks.

Faced pinch increasing world pressure, Israel began allowing a trickle of assistance successful precocious May. But humanitarian organisations opportunity it is only a fraction of nan assistance that entered nan enclave earlier nan war, and person warned of a worsening humanitarian situation and nan increasing consequence of wide famine. A UN-backed study warned successful precocious April that 1 successful 5 group were facing starvation.

Dozens of Palestinians person been killed complete nan past week while connected their measurement to effort and get assistance from a caller US-backed group commissioned to present assistance to Gaza, nan Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The group is intended to switch nan UN-led strategy of distributing assistance successful Gaza. The United Nations has warned that nan caller distribution system has go a "death trap" for hopeless group seeking nutrient successful nan strip.

Last month, different alloy from nan Freedom Flotilla Coalition came nether what its organisers claimed was an Israeli drone onslaught disconnected nan seashore of Malta successful world waters. The group did not supply grounds that nan drone was Israeli, while nan Israeli subject has declined to remark connected nan alleged attack.

The ship, nan Conscience, was heading to Malta, wherever a ample contingent of activists, including Thunberg, were owed to committee earlier it departed for Gaza.

The later voyage connected nan Madleen, which was intercepted by Israel, departed from Sicily past Friday.

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