A boat carrying Greta Thunberg and 11 other activists was intercepted by Israel and diverted from its path to Gaza. The vessel, a British-flagged yacht named Madleen, was part of a mission organised by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), and was also carrying French Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Rima Hassan.
The boat had set sail from Sicily and was allegedly trying to bring aid to Gaza.
Sharing their reasons for not allowing the flotilla to pass through, a senior Israeli official told Channel 12, “We are surrounding Gaza from every direction in order to strangle Hamas and not enable [Gaza] to get any aid from any factor that is not overseen by Israel. If we allow one flotilla to enter, masses will follow, and this provocation [by Greta Thunberg’s boat] will create a wave of flotillas that are hostile to Israel. We will not let this happen.”
The official said that if the flotilla didn’t turn back, Israeli Navy Commandos will board the ship and take it to Ashdod.
