Israel Detains Greta Thunberg After Stopping Gaza-Bound Boat

Israeli forces took control of the Gaza-bound boat Madleen early Monday and detained the group of 12 activists who were on board, following repeated warnings to the activists against attempting to sail to the Gaza coast, which is under a strict maritime blockade.

The activist mission organized by the pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel Freedom Flotilla Coalition had intended to challenge Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip and raise awareness about the humanitarian crisis created by the 20-month-old war between Israel and the Hamas terror group It had planned to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to the war-torn enclave.

The group of activists — among whom are Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Brazilian activist Thiago Avila, and French-Palestinian European Parliament Member Rima Hassan — were to be handed over to police for deportation upon arrival at Ashdod Port.

The vessel had defied repeated warnings issued by Israel to turn around since it departed Sicily last Sunday. At around 3 a.m., it was intercepted by the Navy’s Shayetet 13 commando unit and the Snapir harbor border security unit, a military official told The Times of Israel.

It was given a final opportunity to change course before it was boarded, both by the Foreign Ministry and the Navy, but again refused.

“The Gaza maritime zone remains an active conflict area, and Hamas has previously exploited sea routes for terrorist attacks, including the October 7th massacre,” warned the Foreign Ministry, which provided periodic updates in English throughout Sunday night and Monday morning.

“Unauthorized attempts to breach the blockade are dangerous, unlawful, and undermine ongoing humanitarian efforts,” the ministry said. It called for “all actors to act responsibly and to channel humanitarian aid through legitimate, coordinated mechanisms, not through provocation.”

It then published a video showing an Israeli Navy soldier communicating with the boat over loudspeaker, telling them that the maritime zone around Gaza was closed, but that the humanitarian aid could be delivered to the Strip via Ashdod Port.

Activists on board the ship posted a video showing them hunkering down as a drone hovered overhead.

“We are right here surrounded by Israeli drones. Please sound the alarm,” an activist is heard saying. “Please take cover everyone. Assume positions.”

‘The show is over’

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition then said on Telegram that soldiers had boarded the yacht and that its connection had been lost.

It commenced publishing a series of pre-recorded videos of those aboard asking for help from their home countries.

The activist crew was “kidnapped by Israeli forces,” it said.

“The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo—including baby formula, food and medical supplies—confiscated.”

Israel confirmed that it had taken control of the boat and was towing it toward Ashdod Port in a statement released via the Foreign Ministry, which said that the “selfie yacht” was “safely making its way to the shores of Israel.”

“The passengers are expected to return to their home countries,” it added.

The Foreign Ministry said that the boat was carrying “less than a single truckload of aid.” In contrast, it said, “more than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza from Israel within the past two weeks, and in addition, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has distributed close to 11 million meals directly to civilians in Gaza.”

Israel partially restarted aid operations in the Gaza Strip last month, allowing some basic supplies to enter again, following a two-and-a-half-month total blockade. Humanitarian workers have warned of famine unless the blockade is lifted altogether and Israel ends its military offensive.

“There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip — they do not involve Instagram selfies,” the Foreign Ministry said. “The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the ‘celebrities’ will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels.”

It published a video a short while later showing the detained activists being escorted to the Ashdod Port, confirming that the passengers were “safe and unharmed” and had been provided with sandwiches and water.

“The show is over,” it said.

In an apparent attempt to ease concerns over the well-being of the Madleen’s crew, it said on X that Thunberg was “in good spirits,” and shared a photo of the climate activist smiling tightly as she was offered a plastic-wrapped sandwich by a soldier.

Defense Minister Israel Katz, meanwhile, praised the Israeli navy for its swift takeover of the ship. Footage from before soldiers boarded showed that the activists planned to make a show of not putting up resistance.

Katz then announced that he had ordered the military to screen a video showing atrocities committed on October 7, 2023, to the detained activists once they had safely arrived at port.

The harrowing 43-minute video produced by the Israel Defense Forces spokesperson’s office shows uncensored, difficult-to-watch footage of people being massacred and bodies mutilated during the onslaught, much of it taken from terrorists’ bodycams.

“It’s appropriate that Greta the antisemite and her Hamas-supporting friends should see exactly who is the terror group Hamas that they support and act on behalf of, what atrocious acts they carried out on women, the elderly and kids, and who Israel is fighting for its defense against,” the defense minister said.

Israel has shown the atrocities video, titled “Bearing Witness,” to journalists and public figures in limited screenings around the world as part of its efforts to rally support for its war on Hamas, though its use of the footage has occasionally garnered controversy.