Greta Thunberg detained again? Israel shares video of IDF on flotilla vessels that were approaching Gaza | Watch
The Global Sumud Flotilla, carrying aid to Gaza, faced Israeli warnings and intervention. Despite international support, Israel disrupted the mission, boarding several boats and detaining activists, including Greta Thunberg.
Israeli forces boarded several boats with foreign activists carrying aid to Gaza and took them to an Israeli port on Wednesday, disrupting a protest that had become one of the most high-profile symbols of opposition to Israel's blockade of the enclave.
A video from the Israeli foreign ministry verified by Reuters showed the most prominent of the flotilla's passengers, Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, sitting on a deck surrounded by soldiers, Reuters reported.
"Several vessels of the Hamas-Sumud flotilla have been safely stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port," the Israeli foreign ministry said on X. “Greta and her friends are safe and healthy.”
Watch the video here:
The Global Sumud Flotilla, which was transporting food and medicine to Gaza, included over 40 civilian boats with around 500 parliamentarians, lawyers, and activists onboard.
As the flotilla made its way across the Mediterranean, it attracted international attention, with countries like Turkey, Spain, and Italy sending boats or drones to assist their nationals if needed. Despite this, Israel repeatedly warned the flotilla to turn back.
In response to the Israeli attack on the convoy, Turkey’s foreign ministry condemned it as an “act of terror” that put innocent lives at risk. The raid also sparked spontaneous protests in Italy.
The flotilla also alleged that the Israeli navy attempted to sink the ‘Maria Cristina’ boat, though Reuters was unable to verify this claim independently.
Ankara said that steps had begun for Israel to release Turks and others on board, while Spain called on Israel to protect the safety and rights of activists.
“Tonight's reports are very concerning. This is a peaceful mission to shine a light on a horrific humanitarian catastrophe,” Ireland's Foreign Minister Simon Harris said on X.
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According to the flotilla's own ship tracking data, a total of nine boats had been intercepted or stopped. Organisers have remained defiant, saying in a statement that the flotilla “will continue undeterred”.
Israel's navy had previously warned the flotilla that it was approaching an active combat zone and violating a lawful blockade and asked them to change course. It had offered to transfer any aid peacefully through safe channels to Gaza.
Trying to break the blockade
The flotilla had hoped to arrive in Gaza on Thursday morning if it was not intercepted. This was the second time the flotilla was approached on Wednesday. Before dawn, the mission's organisers said two Israeli "warships" had encircled two of the flotilla's boats and scrambled its communications.
Last week the flotilla was attacked by drones, which dropped stun grenades and itching powder on the vessels, causing damage but no injuries.
Italy and Spain deployed naval ships to help with any rescue or humanitarian needs but stopped following the flotilla once it got within 150 nautical miles (278 km) of Gaza for safety reasons. Turkish drones have also followed the boats.
Italy and Greece on Wednesday jointly called on Israel not to hurt the activists aboard and called on the flotilla to hand over its aid to the Catholic Church for indirect delivery to Gaza - a plea the flotilla has previously rejected.
Israeli officials have repeatedly denounced the mission as a stunt.
"This systematic refusal (to hand over the aid) demonstrates that the objective is not humanitarian, but provocative," Jonathan Peled, the Israeli ambassador to Italy, said in a post on X.
Past attempt to deliver aid
“This systematic refusal (to hand over the aid) demonstrates that the objective is not humanitarian, but provocative,” Jonathan Peled, the Israeli ambassador to Italy, said in a post on X.
At a press conference held by organisers on Wednesday, Francesca Albanese, the top U.N. expert on Palestinian rights, said any interception of the flotilla would be a “violation of international law,” since Israel had no legal jurisdiction over waters off Gaza.
Israel has maintained a naval blockade on Gaza since Hamas took control of the area in 2007, and there have been numerous attempts by activists to break the blockade and deliver aid by sea.
One of the most notable incidents occurred in 2010 when nine activists were killed after Israeli soldiers boarded a flotilla of six ships, which were carrying 700 pro-Palestinian activists from 50 countries. This event sparked widespread international condemnation.
In June 2023, Israeli naval forces detained Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and 11 others from a small vessel organised by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a pro-Palestinian group, as they neared Gaza.
The blockade and escalating tensions were further intensified by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which left around 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage. In response, Israel launched a large-scale offensive in Gaza, which, according to local health authorities, has resulted in over 65,000 deaths in Gaza.
(With inputs from Reuters)