Activists of the organization Freedom Flotilla Coalition say that the Israeli army has stopped their ship (yacht) which was carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. FFC told on Telegram that they have lost contact with their ship named Madeleine. International environmental activist Greta Thunberg is also on this ship.
The UK-flagged yacht Madleen, operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), had departed from Sicily on June 6 and was hoping to reach Gaza later in the day, when the Israeli military’s interception occurred, the group said on its Telegram account.
However, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition accused Israel of ‘forcibly intercepting’ the Madleen and acting with “total impunity”. Describing the incident, the FFC stated their aid ship was “unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo including baby formula, food and medical supplies confiscated.”
FFC has also shared a picture in which some people are sitting wearing life jackets and raising their hands. This has not been confirmed by any independent source yet.
International environmental activist Greta Thunberg is also on this ship and it is believed that it was near the coast of Egypt.
At the same time, the Israeli Foreign Ministry has released a video on X informing that the passengers of this ship are safe.
The Ministry wrote, "All the people on the 'Selfie Yacht' are safe and have not suffered any harm. They were given sandwiches to eat and drinking water. The show is over now."
Earlier, the Israeli Foreign Ministry had said that their navy had warned the ship that it was heading towards a restricted area, so it would have to change its route.
Israel says that the blockade on Gaza is necessary so that weapons cannot reach Hamas.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) is a mass-based solidarity movement, which includes people and organizations from all over the world. This group is working together to end Israel's blockade on Gaza.