A British-flagged aid yacht sailing toward Gaza with Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg aboard is facing an Israeli military blockade, after Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered it to be stopped.
The vessel, Madleen, is part of a humanitarian mission organized by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC). It departed from Sicily on June 6 and is currently sailing off Egypt’s coast, en route to the Gaza Strip — an area under a long-standing Israeli blockade.
“I instructed the IDF to prevent the Madleen from reaching Gaza,” said Katz in an official statement.
“To Greta and her companions who spread Hamas propaganda: turn back — you will not reach Gaza,” he added, accusing the group of anti-Israel bias.
Thunberg said her participation aims to challenge what she described as “Israel’s illegal siege and escalating war crimes” in Gaza, and to draw attention to the urgent humanitarian needs in the region. She has denied accusations of antisemitism leveled against her by Israeli officials in the past.
According to health authorities in Gaza, over 54,000 Palestinians have died during Israel’s ongoing military campaign, which has devastated much of the territory. The United Nations has warned that the majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents face the risk of famine.
Israel maintains the naval blockade to prevent the transfer of weapons to Hamas, which it considers essential to its national security efforts to dismantle the group.
“The blockade’s primary goal is to block arms shipments to Hamas,” Katz stated. “Israel will not permit any vessel to breach this line.”
The Madleen is carrying a modest amount of humanitarian aid, including items such as rice and baby formula, according to FFC spokesperson Hay Sha Wiya. She said the vessel was about 160 nautical miles (296 km) from Gaza as of Sunday and added, “We are preparing for the possibility of an interception.”
In addition to Thunberg, the boat’s crew includes 11 others, notably Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament.
Israeli media reports suggest the military plans to intercept the yacht before it enters Gaza’s waters and redirect it to the Israeli port of Ashdod. The passengers would then be deported.
This incident echoes the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident, when Israeli commandos boarded a Turkish-led aid flotilla heading to Gaza, resulting in the deaths of 10 activists and sparking international outrage.
