sraeli forces stopped a Gaza-bound aid boat and detained Greta Thunberg and other activists who were on board early Monday, enforcing a longstanding blockade of the Palestinian territory that has been tightened during the war with Hamas.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which had organised the voyage to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and protest Israel’s blockade and wartime conduct, said the activists had been “kidnapped by Israeli forces” and released pre-recorded messages from them.
“The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo — including baby formula, food and medical supplies — confiscated,” it said in a statement.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry cast the voyage as a public relations stunt, saying in a post on X that “the selfie yacht’ of the celebrities is safely making its way to the shores of Israel”.
It said the passengers would return to their home countries and the aid would be delivered to Gaza through established channels.
It later circulated footage of what appeared to be Israeli military personnel handing out sandwiches and water to the activists, who were wearing orange life vests.