Israel’s defence minister has vowed to stop a boat carrying aid to Gaza ‘by whatever measures are necessary’.
Greta Thunberg is among 12 activists trying to sail the Madleen to the Palestinian territory, carrying flour, rice, baby formula, and other basic supplies amid a humanitarian crisis.
Writing on X today, defence minister Israel Katz said: ‘I have instructed the IDF to act to prevent the ‘Madeleine’ hate flotilla from reaching the shores of Gaza – and to take whatever measures are necessary to that end.
‘To the anti-Semitic Greta and her fellow Hamas propaganda spokespeople, I say clearly: You should turn back – because you will not reach Gaza.
‘Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade or assist terrorist organizations – at sea, in the air, and on land.’
He said that the naval blockade of Gaza is aimed at preventing Hamas from importing arms.
The Madleen is operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, and departed Sicily last Sunday on a mission that aims to break the sea blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid, while raising awareness over the growing humanitarian crisis.
Its crew includes citizens of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Brazil and Spain, as well as Sweden, and it is flying under a UK flag.
The Freedom Flotilla said they ‘remain calm and prepared in the face of possible Israeli aggression’.
Activists on board have been sharing footage and photos of their journey on social media, but now say they fear being ‘cut off from the world’ with communications jammed.
They say that a sister vessel, Conscience, was already attacked by two drones in international waters off the coast of Malta, preventing it from going further.
The group blamed Israel for the attack, which damaged the front section of the ship.
As the Madleen comes close to the end of its journey, with an online tracker showing the ship off in the Mediterrean off the coast of Egypt, Israel vowed to intervene to prevent them landing.
The ship is carrying supplies including baby formula, flour, rice, nappies, women’s sanitary products, water desalination kits, medical supplies, crutches, and children’s prosthetics.
Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent, is among the others onboard.
She has been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies towards the Palestinians.
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After a three-month total blockade aimed at pressuring Hamas, Israel started allowing some basic aid into Gaza last month, but humanitarian workers have warned of famine unless the blockade and the war end.
Last month, Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of UNRWA, the UN agency, which supports Palestinian refugees, told Metro that hunger is being used as a weapon of war in the Palestinian territory.
‘We are used to different types of malnutrition, created by climate change, by draught, by conflict,’ he said.
‘In the context of Gaza, it is none of that, it is man-made from the start to what we see today.’
A source told the Jerusalem Post that the IDF is expected to intercept the vessel within 48 hours.
On June 4, 19 British MPs signed a motion to ‘stand in solidarity’ with the crew of 12 on board, saying they ‘support the statement by UN experts that the people of Gaza have the right to receive aid through their own territorial waters even under occupation’ and that ‘Israel must not interfere with its freedom of navigation, long recognised under international law’.
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