Jerusalem – Israeli forces have approached a charity ship that tries to reach the Gaza Strip in challenge to an Israeli naval block, said the Freedom Flotilla coalition on early Monday.
The yacht with British Madleen flag, operated by the Pro-Palestinian FFC, had separated from Sicily on June 6 and hoped to get to Gaza later in the day, when the interception occurred, the group said the Ons Telegram account.
Among the on -board of the boat are the Swedish climatic activist Greta Thunberg and Rima Hassan, French member of the European Parliament.
The Israeli army had no immediate comments.
Shortly before the FFC statement, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a video about X that shows the Israeli Navy by communicating with the Madleen on a strong speaker, urging to change course.
“The maritime zone off the coast of Gaza is closed to naval traffic as part of a legal naval block,” said a soldier. “If you want to provide humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, you can do it through the Ashdod port (Israeli).”
The yacht, with his team of 12 people, carried a symbolic shipment of humanitarian aid, including the rice and baby formula.
The Israeli defense minister, Israel Katz, ordered the military on Sunday to prevent Mamleen from arriving in Gaza, calling the mission a propaganda effort in support of Hamas.
Israel imposed a naval blockade in the coastal enclave after Hamas Tok Control or Gaza in 2007.
The blockade has remained in place through multiple conflicts, including the current war, which is after an assault led by Hamas to the south of Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed more than 1,200 people, according to an Israeli Tally.
The Gaza Ministry of Health says that more than 54,000 Palestinians have died since the beginning of the Israel military campaign.
The United Nations have warned that most of the more than 2 million residents of Gaza face the famine.
