Israel Detains Thunberg and Activists Sailing to Gaza – Video

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has detained the humanitarian ship "Madeleine" that was heading to the Gaza Strip, Minister of Defense Israel Katz said. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a video showing detained environmental activist Greta Thunberg and her associates on board.

At 7:18 a.m. (the same time as in Ukraine), Katz said that the seizure of the yacht had taken place "quickly and safely" and thanked the military for preventing the ship from breaking the blockade of Gaza.

The minister also instructed the army to show the ship's passengers a video depicting the horrors of the October 7 massacre carried out by the Hamas group when they arrive at the port of Ashdod, located north of Gaza.

The official reiterated Israel's position that such humanitarian aid to the sector plays into the hands of terrorists. According to the state, Hamas uses "humanitarian aid" to pay salaries and recruit new militants. At the same time, in late May, the Swiss Humanitarian Fund for Gaza, supported by the United States and Israel, was able to start working, which distributes aid to the population without the participation of Hamas.

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the detained vessel a "selfie yacht" and noted that its passengers were safe and unharmed.

"They [the detainees] were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over ," the post says.

The Madeleine belongs to the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition. Reacting to the detention, the Flotilla said the yacht was carrying MEP Rima Hassan, a French lawyer and politician of Palestinian origin.

In a video message, the politician called for pressure on the French government to release the detainees. French President Emmanuel Macron is critical of the Israeli authorities, and his country is considering recognizing the Palestinian state.

The Flotilla also appealed to their supporters: "Put pressure on the foreign ministries and help us protect them [the detainees]!"

• The Madeleine left Sicily, Italy, on June 1. On the 8th, Israel announced that it would detain the yacht. At that time, it was almost 300 km from Gaza (read more about the situation here).
• There were a total of 12 activists on board. Among the famous figures, in addition to Thunberg and Hassan, was Irish actor and Game of Thrones star Liam Cunningham.
• This is not the first time the organization has tried to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza: a month ago, it said its ship was disabled by a drone strike.