Israeli Forces Seize Gaza Aid Boat Carrying Greta Thunberg

(MENAFN- Gulf Times)

• Vessel aimed to deliver aid, raise awareness of Gaza crisis
• Crew includes climate activist Greta Thunberg
• 'If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped'
• Israel says all aboard are safe, heading to an Israeli port
• UN rapporteur urges more boats to challenge Gaza blockade

Israeli naval forces boarded and seized a charity vessel carrying Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, which had tried to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip on Monday.
The British-flagged yacht, Madleen, which is operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition, had aimed to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza later on Monday and raise international awareness of the humanitarian crisis there.
"If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by Israeli occupational forces or forces that support Israel," Thunberg, 22, said in a video released by the FCC, filmed before the vessel was captured.
"I urge all my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible."
The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed that the vessel was under Israeli control. Israel has called Thunberg an "antisemite" and dismissed the aid ship as a stunt.
Rima Hassan, a French member of the European parliament who was also on board, posted on X that the crew had been "arrested by the Israeli army in international waters around 2 a.m."
A photograph showed the crew seated on the boat, all wearing life jackets, with their hands in the air.
Israel's foreign ministry later distributed a photo showing Thunberg in a green hat and orange life vest, smiling while a soldier held out a sandwich.
The yacht is carrying a small shipment of humanitarian aid, including rice and baby formula. The Foreign Ministry said it would be taken to Gaza.
The Swedish foreign ministry said it was in contact with Israeli authorities.
"Should the need for consular support arise, the Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will assess how we can best help the Swedish citizen/Greta Thunberg resolve her situation," a Swedish Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a written statement to Reuters.
French President Emmanuel Macron's office said the president has asked Israeli authorities to release the French nationals on board as soon as possible.
The French and Spanish foreign ministries said they had requested consular protection for their citizens aboard.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the military on Sunday to prevent the Madleen from reaching Gaza, calling the mission a propaganda effort in support of Hamas.
Hamas condemned the seizure of the boat as "state terrorism" and said it salutes its activists.
Israel has imposed a naval blockade on the coastal enclave since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007, saying it aims to stop weapons from reaching the militant group.
At the start of March this year, Israel also sealed off Gaza by land, letting no supplies in for three months. Over the past two weeks it has let in some food to be distributed by an Israeli-backed group. Scores of hungry Palestinians have been killed trying to reach it.
The United Nations' special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, has supported the FFC operation and on Sunday, urged other boats to challenge the Gaza blockade.
"Madleen's journey may have ended, but the mission isn't over. Every Mediterranean port must send boats with aid & solidarity to Gaza," she wrote on X.

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