Twelve activists from France, Germany, Brazil, Turkey, Sweden, Spain and the Netherlands were traveling in the Madleen to break the Israeli block in Palestinian territory
The ‘Madleen’ humanitarian boat, which transports with a group of activists on board, including Swedish was diverted at dawn on Monday (9) by the Israeli authorities, who said passengers should “return to their countries.” “The ‘selfies” of the’ celebrities’ is sailing safely towards the back of Israel. We hope passengers will return to their home countries, “the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Israel said in a statement.
“The small amount of help on the yacht that was not consumed by the ‘celebrities’ will be transferred to Gaza by real humanitarian channels,” the statement added. The ministry published images that show the distribution of food and water to the passengers of the vessel, who used life jackets. The coalition sailboat of Flotilha da Liberdade (FFC), a non -violent international movement of solidarity with the Palestinians, departed from Italy on June 1 with the objective of delivering help to Gaza.
Twelve activists from various countries (France, Germany, Brazil, Turkey, Sweden, Spain and the Netherlands) travel in the ‘Madleen’, with the aim of “breaking the Israeli block” in Gaza, which faces a catastrophic humanitarian situation after more than a year and a half of war. After a scale in Egypt, the vessel approached the coast of Gaza, despite the warnings of Israel, who ordered the army to prevent the sailboat’s entry into Palestinian territory.
The FFC reported at night that the army had approached the vessel. “We lost communication with ‘Madleen’. The Israeli army approached the boat,” the NGO said on Telegram. The crew was “kidnapped by the Israeli forces,” the movement added. “” If you are watching this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters, “Thunberg said in a programmed video released by FFC.
Media provocation
The organization also denounced “a clear violation of international law” and insisted that the approach occurred in international waters. “Israel has no legal authority to stop international volunteers aboard the” Madleen “,” said FFC director Huwaida Arraf. Iran, Israel’s enemy, condemned the ship’s interception and called the action of “act of piracy.” The approach took place at 3:02 am (10:02 pm Brasilia, Sunday), according to the NGO. Passengers will land at Ashdod’s Israeli Port, according to the Ministry of Defense.
The Israeli government accused on Monday the Swedish activist “Greta Thunberg and others (to have) tried to stag a media provocation with the sole intention of advertising.” The Israeli Minister of Defense, Israel Katz, announced on Sunday the order for the army to prevent the arrival of ‘Madleen’ in Gaza.
“The State of Israel will not allow anyone to break the maritime blockade of Gaza, whose main objective is to prevent the transfer of weapons to Hamas, a murderous terrorist organization that keeps our hostages and commits war crimes,” he added. Israel faces strong international pressure to end the war in Gaza, where the population is bombarded daily and is on the brink of hunger due to the restrictions imposed by Israel, according to the UN.
Flotilha in 2010
The World Health Organization (WHO) issued an alert, in a statement published on Saturday, about the “collapse of the health system in the Gaza Strip” and said that there are no more “hospitals in operation in the north” of the territory. The war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas began after the unprecedented attack of the Palestinian Islamist movement executed in Israeli territory on October 7, 2023.
The attack caused the death of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP survey based on official data. Of the 251 people kidnapped that day, 55 remain in captivity in Gaza, and at least 31 died, according to Israeli authorities.
To date, more than 54,770 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have died in Israeli military operation, according to Gaza Ministry of Health, considered reliable by the UN. In 2010, an international flotilla of eight cargo ships with nearly 700 passengers, which departed from Turkey in an attempt to break the Gaza strip blockade, was intercepted by an Israeli military operation that ended with 10 dead activists.
*With information from AFP
