Greta Thunberg Arrested After Israel Intercepts Gaza Flotilla

Israeli forces have detained Greta Thunberg after intercepting her Gaza-bound flotilla.

Boats in the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) were stopped less than a hundred miles off the coast of the war-torn enclave after ignoring final orders to change course.

Organisers said some activists were arrested and that “the status of participants and crew remains unconfirmed”.

“This is an illegal attack on unarmed humanitarians in international waters,” the GSF said.

Israel’s foreign ministry released a video of Thunberg sitting on the deck beside a member of the Israel Defense Forces as he appeared to hand her water and a jacket.

In a statement, the ministry said: “Already several vessels of the Hamas-Sumud flotilla have been safely stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port.

“Greta and her friends are safe and healthy.”

But the interception has been described as an “act of terrorism” and a “serious violation of international law” by Turkey’s foreign ministry.

Italy and Greece have called on Israel “to ensure the safety and security of the participants and to allow for all consular protection measures”.

Thousands of people marched in support of the flotilla on Wednesday night in major cities such as London, Athens, Brussels, Berlin and Rome.

More than 10,000 people joined pro-Palestine protests in Italy’s capital, where the crowd chanted “if they stop the flotilla, we will shut everything down”, according to the Il Messaggero newspaper.

The Alma, the boat carrying Thunberg, a 22-year-old Swedish activist, was one of the first vessels reportedly boarded by the Israeli forces, which intercepted 13 of the boats in total.

It was unclear how many of the 500 people participating in the flotilla had been arrested.

In an update shortly after 3am on Thursday, the flotilla’s organisers said some 30 boats were still “sailing strong” towards Gaza and had reached 46 nautical miles from the Strip’s coastline “despite the incessant aggressions from the Israeli occupation navy”.

“We also want to confirm that our mission is going on,” a spokesman said in a video update.

“We have around 30 ships that are still fighting their way away from the military vessels of the occupation forces, trying to reach the shores of Gaza. They are determined, they are motivated.”

The flotilla’s lead boats were surrounded by around 20 warships as they approached Gaza, where organisers reported signal jamming and received multiple warnings to hand over their aid and return home.

Passengers were seen putting on life vests and sitting in a circle on deck as they braced for the takeover.

“Our vessels are being illegally intercepted. Cameras are offline and vessels have been boarded by military personnel. We are actively working to confirm the safety and status of all participants on board,” organisers said in a post on X.

The flotilla, which set sail from Barcelona in August, had hoped to deliver food and medicine to the enclave, which is under a naval blockade.

National waters extend up to 12 nautical miles out to sea but countries can claim exclusive economic zones extending 200 nautical miles out to sea.

Before the interception on Wednesday evening, organisers remained defiant, saying: “We will not be intimidated by threats, harassment, or efforts to protect Israel’s illegal siege on Gaza.”

After Thunberg’s boat was stopped, the GSF vowed to “continue undeterred”.

The activist group had expected Israel to obstruct the flotilla as it breached the “high-risk” zone, some 150 nautical miles off Gaza’s shoreline.

The Israeli navy said it warned the Gaza-bound flotilla to change course, telling them they could unload the aid at the port of Ashdod in Israel.

Activists were warned that they were approaching an active combat zone and violating a lawful blockade.

Speaking before the interception, Thunberg said: “Israel is not immune to international law; they must be held accountable for their war crimes. Stop the genocide, stop the occupation, and free Palestine.”

Activists on board the flotilla also claimed their signal had been jammed by Israel as a livestream of each boat slowly went offline one by one.

They also reported increased drone activity in the early hours of Wednesday, adding that several of their vessels had been approached by unidentified boats, many without navigation lights. They said this was a sign that an interception was imminent.

“Last night, several Israeli naval ships menaced our convoy. They attacked our vessels, intimidated our crew, and disabled our communications,” said David Adler, an activist on board the Ohwayla.

Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s prime minister, said she feared the aid mission risked derailing Donald Trump’s 20-point proposal to end the Israel-Hamas war, calling it “a fragile balance, which many would be happy to destroy”.

But a senior figure in Hamas said the terror group may reject the proposal, which they said “serves Israel’s interests” and “ignores those of the Palestinian people”.

Some 600 police gathered at Israel’s Ashdod Port to detain and deport the activists in a complex operation on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year in Judaism.

There were ambulances at the Israeli coast and several hospitals were put on high alert in case medical attention was required for the flotilla’s participants.

Italy and Spain deployed navy vessels last week to assist the flotilla after it was hit by drones armed with stun grenades and irritants in an overnight attack in international waters off the Greek coast, but without any intention to engage militarily.

The Israeli government did not respond to accusations from activists on board the flotilla, who said that it was behind last week’s attacks, but has repeatedly said the flotilla is a Hamas operation, without providing evidence.

Israel had vowed to use any means necessary to prevent the GSF reaching Gaza after blocking two previous attempts by activists to reach the enclave by sea, arguing that its blockade on aid is legal as part of its war against Hamas militants.

It has repeatedly characterised the GSF’s efforts as publicity stunts that offered no real humanitarian assistance.

Thunberg denied this last week, telling the BBC: “I don’t think anyone would risk their life for a publicity stunt.”

Israel has come under huge international pressure for its war in Gaza, which Hamas claims has killed more than 66,000 people and created a man-made famine and humanitarian catastrophe in the ravaged enclave.

The onslaught was in reaction to the Oct 7 2023 massacre, in which Hamas murdered 1,200 people and took 250 hostages.