Israeli forces seize Gaza-bound aid boat and detain Greta Thunberg and
other activists
[June 09, 2025]
By YESICA FISCH and TIA GOLDENBERG
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli forces seized a Gaza-bound aid boat and
detained Greta Thunberg and other activists who were on board early
Monday, enforcing a longstanding blockade of the Palestinian territory
that has been tightened during the war with Hamas.
The activists had set out to protest Israel's ongoing military campaign
in the Gaza Strip, which is among the deadliest and most destructive
since World War II, and its restrictions on the entry of humanitarian
aid, both of which have put the territory of some 2 million Palestinians
at risk of famine.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which had organized the voyage, said the
activists were “kidnapped by Israeli forces” while trying to deliver
desperately needed aid to the territory.
“The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted,
and its life-saving cargo — including baby formula, food and medical
supplies — confiscated,” it said in a statement. It said the ship was
seized in international waters some 200 kilometers (120 miles) from
Gaza.
Israel's Foreign Ministry portrayed the voyage as a public relations
stunt, saying in a post on X that "the ‘selfie yacht’ of the
‘celebrities’ is safely making its way to the shores of Israel.”
It said the activists would return to their home countries and the aid
would be sent to Gaza through established channels. It circulated
footage of what appeared to be Israeli military personnel handing out
sandwiches and water to the activists, who were wearing orange life
vests.
Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesperson, said the ship
was still en route to Israel around midday Monday. It was expected to
dock at the port of Ashdod.
A weeklong voyage
Thunberg, a climate campaigner, was among 12 activists aboard the
Madleen, which set sail from Sicily a week ago. Along the way, it had
stopped on Thursday to rescue four migrants who had jumped overboard to
avoid being detained by the Libyan coast guard.
“I urge all my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the
Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible,"
Thunberg said in a pre-recorded message released after the ship was
halted.
Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of
Palestinian descent, was also among the volunteers on board. She has
been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli
policies toward the Palestinians.
She was among six French citizens aboard the boat. French President
Emmanuel Macron asked Israel to allow them to return to France as soon
as possible, his office said in a statement.
Adalah, a rights group in Israel that said it was representing the
activists, said Israel had “no legal authority” to take over the ship
because it was in international waters and because it was headed not to
Israel but to the “territorial waters of the state of Palestine.”
[to top of second column]
|
Climate activist Greta Thunberg with other activists from a human
rights organization meets with journalists in Catania, Italy,
Sunday, June 1, 2025, ahead of their departure for the Mideast. (AP
Photo/Salvatore Cavalli)
“The arrest of the unarmed activists, who operated in a civilian
manner to provide humanitarian aid, amounts to a serious breach of
international law,” Adalah said in a statement.
After a 2˝-month total blockade aimed at pressuring Hamas, Israel
started allowing some basic aid into Gaza last month, but
humanitarian workers and experts have warned of famine unless the
blockade is lifted and Israel ends its military offensive.
An attempt last month by Freedom Flotilla to reach Gaza by sea
failed after another of the group’s vessels was attacked by two
drones while sailing in international waters off Malta, organizers
said. The group blamed Israel for the attack, which damaged the
front section of the ship.
An 18-year blockade
Israel and Egypt have imposed varying degrees of blockade on Gaza
since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007.
Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent Hamas from importing
arms, while critics say it amounts to collective punishment of
Gaza's Palestinian population.
Israel sealed Gaza off from all aid in the early days of the war
ignited by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023,
but later relented under U.S. pressure. In early March, shortly
before Israel ended a ceasefire with Hamas, the country again
blocked all imports, including food, fuel and medicine.
Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in
the Oct. 7 attack and abducted 251 hostages, most of whom have since
been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Hamas is still
holding 55 hostages, more than half of them believed to be dead.
Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians,
according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish
between civilians and combatants but has said women and children
make up most of the dead.
The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced around 90% of
the territory’s population, leaving people there almost completely
dependent on international aid.
Efforts to broker another truce have been deadlocked for months.
Hamas says it will only release the remaining hostages in exchange
for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal, while Israel has
vowed to continue the war until all the captives are returned and
Hamas is defeated or disarmed and exiled.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved
 |
