Takeaways
- Climate advocate Greta Thunberg has left Israel on a flight to Sweden after the military intercepted an aid ship she was sailing on toward Gaza.
- The ship, carrying aid including food, baby formula, and medical supplies, was stopped due to a longstanding Israeli naval blockade intended to prevent the transfer of weapons to Hamas.
- Israel controls the limited deliveries of humanitarian assistance to Gaza's population of about 2 million, and the United Nations has said more needs to be done to address the situation.
Israel said climate advocate Greta Thunberg has left the country on a flight to Sweden after the military intercepted an aid ship she was sailing on toward Gaza, where humanitarian agencies say a hunger crisis is unfolding.
All 12 people on board the vessel were taken to an Israeli port and transferred to local authorities, the group operating Thunberg’s mission said in a social media post earlier Tuesday. Israel’s Foreign Ministry said some of the crew were expected to leave imminently, and those who didn’t sign deportation papers would be brought before a judicial authority.
The civilian boat began its voyage in Sicily and was carrying aid including food, baby formula and medical supplies to Gaza, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition operating group. It was stopped due to a longstanding Israeli naval blockade primarily intended to prevent the transfer of weapons to Hamas, the Iran-backed group Israel has been fighting in the Palestinian territory for the past 20 months.
Israel controls the limited deliveries of humanitarian assistance to Gaza’s population of about 2 million, alongside a US and Israel-backed nonprofit called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The United Nations has said more needs to be done to address the situation, particularly after Israel halted all aid for several weeks following the end of a ceasefire in early March.
Thunberg’s boat was intercepted about 200 kilometers (125 miles) from Gaza, according to coordinates provided by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which describes itself as a grassroots solidarity movement.
Israel’s Navy instructed the yacht via an international civilian communication system that the maritime zone off the coast of Gaza is closed to unauthorized vessels.
“If you wish to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip you are welcome to do so through the Port of Ashdod via the established channels and distribution centers,” the Navy said.
Israel has been at war with Hamas since Oct. 7, 2023, when the militant group launched a surprise attack that killed about 1,200 people and resulted in 250 hostages being taken. More than 50 of those captives remain in Gaza, and Israel believes about 20 are still alive.
Hamas, which the US and the European Union have designated a terrorist organization, reports that more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, without differentiating between civilians and combatants. Israel has lost more than 400 troops to Gaza combat.
Read More: Israel’s Gaza Push Spurs Europe Leaders to Turn on Netanyahu
Some of Israel’s closest European allies, including Germany, the UK and France, have grown increasingly critical of the country’s conduct of the war, which has destroyed much of the coastal strip and sparked a chronic lack of food and other essential supplies. They’re considering trade sanctions and curbs on arms sales to pressure Israel into ending the war.
— With assistance from Aradhana Aravindan
(Updates with Thunberg’s departure starting in first paragraph.)