Israeli forces seize Gaza-bound ship, detain Thunberg and other activists

Israeli naval forces on Monday stopped and seized a charity ship that was trying to break the naval blockade of war-torn Gaza.

The ship with a crew of 12 people, including activist Greta Thunberg, is now being sent to a port in Israel.

The British-flagged yacht, Madleen, operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Fleet Coalition (FFC), was intended to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza on Monday afternoon and raise international awareness of the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory.

However, the ship was seized overnight before reaching shore, the FFC said on its Telegram account.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry later confirmed that Israel had taken control of the ship.

"The 'celebrity' 'selfie yacht' is safely sailing towards the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their countries of origin," the Israeli Ministry wrote on X.

All passengers are safe and unharmed, the Ministry later added.

"They were given sandwiches and water. The show is over," she added.

Part of the 12-person crew were also Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament.

"The Freedom Flotilla crew was arrested by the Israeli military in international waters at around 2am," Hassan posted on X.

A photograph shows the crew sitting on the ship, all wearing life jackets and with their hands up.

The yacht was carrying a small amount of humanitarian aid, including rice and powdered baby milk.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said the aid would be sent to Gaza.

"The small amount of aid that was on the yacht and was not consumed by the 'celebrities' will be sent to Gaza through genuine humanitarian channels," the statement said.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered the military on Sunday not to allow the ship to reach Gaza, calling its mission a propaganda effort in support of Hamas.

Hamas is a Palestinian group declared a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.

Hamas condemned the seizure of the ship as "state terrorism" and said it saluted its activists.

Israel imposed a naval blockade on the coastal enclave after Hamas took control in 2007, with the aim of stopping arms shipments to the militant group.

The blockade has remained in place during several conflicts, including the current war, which began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing over 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli records.

Israel's retaliatory war against Hamas has since killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in Hamas-controlled Gaza, and left more than 2 million displaced and at risk of starvation, according to the United Nations.

The UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, has supported the FFC operation and on Sunday called on other ships to defy the blockade of Gaza.

"Madleen's journey may have ended, but the mission is not over. Every Mediterranean port should send ships with aid and solidarity to Gaza," she wrote on X./ REL