JERUSALEM—Israel intercepted a Gaza-bound aid boat on Monday morning, preventing the activists onboard, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, from reaching the blockaded Palestinian territory.
The Madleen departed from Italy on June 1 aiming to bring awareness to food shortages in Gaza, which the United Nations has called the “hungriest place on Earth”. After 21 months of war, the UN has warned the territory’s entire population is at risk of famine.
AFP lost contact with the Madleen early Monday morning.
At around 3:02 am CET (9.02 Monday Manila time), Israeli forces “forcibly intercepted” the vessel in international waters as it was approaching Gaza, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said in a statement.
“If you see this video we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters,” Thunberg said in a pre-recorded video shared by the coalition.
The Palestinian group Hamas condemned the diversion, saying in a statement the boat was being taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod.
The Israeli government had vowed to prevent the “unauthorized” ship from breaching the naval blockade of Gaza, urging it to turn back.
On Sunday, Defence Minister Israel Katz said the blockade, in place since years before the Israel-Hamas war, was needed to prevent Palestinian militants from importing weapons.
After diverting the boat, Israel’s foreign ministry posted a picture of the activists all in orange life jackets being offered water and sandwiches. “All the passengers of the ‘selfie yacht’ are safe and unharmed,” the ministry wrote on social media, adding that it expected the activists to return to their home countries.
