Israel stops auxiliary boat with Greta Thunberg on the way to Gaza

Israel stops auxiliary boat with Greta Thunberg on the way to Gaza

On Sunday, Israel explained that it intended to prevent an auxiliary boat on which Greta Thunberg and other activists are on board.

current location of the auxiliary boat

On Sunday evening there was the civil ship traveling under British flag, the " Madleen " From Egypt in the Mediterranean and slowly approaches the Gaza coast. The "Madleen" is part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an organization that campaigns against the Israeli blockade of Gaza and tries to break the siege with boats.

Thunberg's statement on the mission

"We know that this is a very risky mission and that previous experiences with flotillas like this tied up, violence, violence and even deaths," Thunberg told CNN on Saturday. "But of course none of these risks are almost as high as the risk of which the Palestinians face every day, only to survive."

Israel's warnings to the "Madleen"

Minister of Defense Israel Katz emphasized that the Madleen, which is operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, should not get into the besieged area. "I have instructed the IDF to ensure that the" Madleen "flotilla not reached Gaza," said Katz in a message and warned the ship: "You should turn back better-because you will not reach Gaza."

Thunberg and the crew of the Madleen expect to reach Gaza within the next two days, as the organizer Yasemin Acar told CNN on Saturday: "We are still on the way to Gaza. There is no back and we hope to be there within two days."

Humanitarian situation in Gaza

The coalition is committed to an end to the Israeli blockade of Gaza and has tried several times in the past to reach the area. After an 11-week blockade that prevented humanitarian aid deliveries, Israel has started to allow a small part of relief goods to Gaza. However, it is only a fraction of the aids that came to the area before the war. Humanitarian organizations warn of a stricter humanitarian crisis and the growing risk of a widespread famine.

votes from the international community

Francesca Albanese, the united nations special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian areas, commented on social media and emphasized that the flotilla transports more than just food. "It's not just the help, it is humanity that you carry with you. For all of us," she said.

preparations for a possible interception

The crew has made the location of the ship public with an online tracker and prepared for the possibility of interception by the Israeli military. Crew members include Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament, and the "Game of Thrones" actor Liam Cunningham. "Israel has no right to intercept this ship from both legal and moral perspective," says a explanation of the group. "The people in Gaza who are subject to siege, hunger and the threat to the extinction have to decide the legal right to decide who enters their area."

earlier incidents with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition

Last month, another ship of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition was under an alleged Israeli drone attack on the coast of Malta in international waters. The group did not provide any evidence that the drone was Israeli, and the Israeli military declined to comment on the alleged attack. The ship, the "Conscience", was on the way to Malta, where a large group of activists should go on board before it continued to Gaza, more than 1,000 miles. The coalition announced CNN that Thunberg was among those who were expected to go on board the ship in Malta.