Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has vowed to block an aid vessel carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists from reaching Gaza, by “any means necessary.”
The Madleen departed Sicily last Sunday, aiming to breach Israel’s naval blockade on Gaza, deliver humanitarian aid, and draw attention to the worsening humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
According to a live tracker on board the vessel, it was sailing north of the Egyptian coastal city of Rosetta on Sunday morning, roughly 160 nautical miles from Gaza.
Katz said Sunday that he had instructed the Israel Defense Forces to “prevent the ‘Madelaine’ hate flotilla from reaching the shores of Gaza.”
“To the anti-Semitic Greta and her fellow Hamas propaganda spokespeople, I say clearly: You should turn back — because you will not reach Gaza,” he posted on Telegram.
“Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade or aid terrorist organizations — at sea, in the air and on land.”
On Sunday, a press officer for the Madleen, Hay Sha Wiya, said the crew was “preparing for the possibility of interception.”
They also said the boat’s signal had been jammed earlier in the day, causing the live tracker to display the boat’s coordinates as being in Jordan.
Among those on board the ship are Thiago Avila, a Brazilian activist and politician, Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament, and Baptiste Andre, a French doctor who is expected to assist passengers injured in potential confrontations with Israeli forces.
“We are doing this because, no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying,” Thunberg said last week.
“Because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity. And no matter how dangerous this mission is, it’s not even near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the live-streamed genocide.”
Israel has adamantly rejected allegations of genocide.
Following warnings of rising starvation in the enclave, in mid-May, Israel began to allow basic aid into Gaza, lifting an almost three-month total blockade on the entry of food, medicine and other vital supplies.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation was tasked with distributing aid in the enclave as part of a new U.S.- and Israel-backed plan, but its first two weeks in operation have been marred by controversy. Health officials say that Israel has killed dozens of Palestinians while they were seeking aid at GHF distribution points.
And experts have warned that Gaza is at risk of famine if more aid is not brought in.
A previous attempt by the Freedom Flotilla to reach Gaza failed last month after one of its ships was struck by two drones in international waters off Malta. The group blamed Israel for the attack, which damaged the vessel’s bow.
The Israeli government says the blockade is an attempt to pressure Hamas to release hostages it took during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks, in which some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage, marking a major escalation in a decadeslong conflict.
Since then, more than 54,000 people, including thousands of children, have been killed in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in the enclave, which has been run by Hamas since 2007.
The Associated Press contributed.
