Israel takes control of vessel with Greta Thunberg en route to Gaza

Kyiv • UNN

June 9 2025, 05:18 AM • 3340 views

Israeli forces have taken control of a ship with aid for Gaza, on board which was Greta Thunberg. The yacht was intercepted at night and is currently heading to an Israeli port.

Israel takes control of vessel with Greta Thunberg en route to Gaza

Israeli forces have taken control of a charity ship trying to break the maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip, and the ship with a crew of 12, including activist Greta Thunberg, is headed to a port in Israel, officials said on Sunday, UNN reports, citing Reuters.

Details

The British-flagged yacht Madleen, operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), was intended to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza later on Monday and draw international attention to the humanitarian crisis in the enclave.

However, the ship was boarded overnight, before it could reach the shore, FFC said in its Telegram account. The Israeli Foreign Ministry later confirmed that it was under Israeli control.

The "celebrity" "selfie yacht" is safely heading to the shores of Israel. Passengers are expected to return to their homeland," the ministry wrote in X.

The ministry later added that all passengers were safe and unharmed: "They were given sandwiches and water. The show is over."

The 12-member crew includes Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament.

"The Freedom Flotilla crew was arrested by the Israeli army in international waters around 2 a.m.," Hassan posted on X. The photo shows the crew sitting on a boat, all wearing life jackets, with their hands raised.

The yacht is carrying a small shipment of humanitarian aid, including rice and baby formula. The Foreign Ministry said it would be delivered to Gaza. "The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the "celebrities" will be transferred to Gaza through genuine humanitarian channels," the statement said.

On Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the military to prevent Madleen from reaching Gaza, calling the mission a propaganda activity in support of Hamas.