Activists on board the Madleen vessel en route to Gaza to provide humanitarian goods say they have been intercepted by Israeli soldiers and detained.
Posting on Telegram, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) campaign organisation announced “connection has been lost” on the Madleen and later uploaded a photo of people sitting with their hands up in life jackets.
According to Israel’s foreign ministry, the yacht was “safely making its way to the shores of Israel,” and its occupants were “expected to return to their home countries.”
Concern first mounted overnight for the safety of the Freedom Flotilla’s Madleen crew after alarms went off on the boat carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists en route to Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition said the situation caused panic and led many of them to take cover and put on life jackets in preparation for an intervention.
In a post on social media, it wrote, “Alarm has been sounded on the Madleen. Life jackets are on, preparing for interception.”
Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on occupied territories, who claimed to be in contact with the flotilla’s communication room in Catania, noted that around five vessels had been circling the aid boat, with two drones hovering over the vessel.
On Sunday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that Israel wouldn’t allow anyone to break its naval blockade of the Palestinian territory, which he said was aimed at preventing Hamas from importing arms.
“To the antisemitic Greta and her fellow Hamas propagandists — I will say this clearly: You should turn back, because you will not make it to Gaza,” he said in a statement.
Climate activist Thunberg is one of 12 activists on board the Freedom Flotilla Coalition-run Madleen.
The boat left Sicily last Sunday on a mission to provide humanitarian goods and lift the naval blockade of Gaza while bringing attention to the escalating humanitarian situation two months into the Israel-Hamas conflict.
In May, the Freedom Flotilla’s attempt to reach Gaza by sea failed when two drones struck one of the group’s ships as it was cruising in international waters off Malta.
The said attack damaged the frontal part of the vessel, which the group blamed on Israel, a claim that Israel strongly refuted.
