Israel Vows To Stop Greta Thunberg's Ship From Reaching Gaza

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Israel won't allow a humanitarian aid ship - carrying activists including Swedish climate advocate Greta Thunberg - to reach Gaza, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday.

No vessel will be permitted to breach the naval blockade that's primarily intended to prevent the transfer of weapons to Hamas, the minister said.

“I have instructed the Israel Defense Forces to act to prevent the 'Madleen' hate flotilla from reaching Gaza,” Katz said in a post on X.“To the anti-Semitic Greta and her fellow Hamas propaganda spokespeople, I say clearly: You should turn back - because you will not reach Gaza.”

The civilian ship set sail from Sicily on June 1, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which operates the vessel. The organization, which describes itself as a grassroots solidarity movement, said on X that the ship is about 160 nautical miles from Gaza.

“We will not be intimidated,” the group replied in a post on X. Israel“has no right to obstruct our mission,” it said.

The group has previously attempted to breach the blockade, most recently a month ago, when it claimed the ship was disabled by a drone strike.

Israel has been at war with Hamas since Oct. 7, 2023, when the militant group launched a surprise attack that killed about 1,200 people and resulted in 250 hostages being taken. More than 50 of those captives remain in Gaza, and Israel believes about 20 are alive.

Hamas, which the US and the European Union have designated a terrorist organization, claims that more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, without differentiating between civilians and combatants. Israel has lost more than 400 troops to Gaza combat.

Some of Israel's closest European allies, including Germany, the UK and France, have grown increasingly critical of the country's conduct of the war, which has destroyed much of the coastal strip and sparked what international aid agencies say is a hunger crisis. They're considering trade sanctions and curbs on arms sales to pressure Israel into ending the war.

Israel halted the entry of aid trucks into Gaza at the beginning of March, when a six-week truce ended and Hamas rejected a US proposal to extend the ceasefire and release more hostages. Israeli authorities claim that Hamas hijacks aid shipments to fund salaries and recruit militants. Nevertheless, under mounting international pressure, they've permitted limited deliveries of aid.

At the same time, the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began operations at the end of May to distribute aid to the population without Hamas involvement.

Despite difficulties on the ground, the Swiss-based nonprofit said on Sunday it had reopened three distribution sites and initiated a pilot program delivering supplies directly to community leaders. The group has distributed enough staples to prepare more than 10 million meals, it said.

With assistance from Marissa Newman.

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