A “celebrity” yacht of anti-Israel activists attempting to sail to Gaza has been boarded by the Israeli military, with the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirming that all passengers on the boat were “safe and unharmed”.
The Madleen, whose passengers included climate change campaigner Greta Thunberg, was described by the MFA in a statement this morning as “safely making its way to the shores of Israel”.
Others aboard the yacht included Rima Hassan, a French Member of the European Parliament, Omar Faiad, a journalist for Al Jazeera and Thiago Avila, a Brazilian who attended the funeral of Hezbollah chief Hasan Nasrallah in February, describing the dead terrorist as a “martyred saint and beloved leader who inspired people across the globe, and a historic figure in the anti-colonial struggle.”
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a video of the activists aboard the yacht after it had been stopped by the Israeli navy, stating: “All the passengers of the ‘selfie yacht’ are safe and unharmed. They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over.”
A further statement from the MFA then confirmed that “the ‘selfie yacht’ of the “celebrities” is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries. While Greta and others attempted to stage a media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain publicity — and which included less than a single truckload of aid — more than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza from Israel within the past two weeks, and in addition, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has distributed close to 11 million meals directly to civilians in Gaza.
“There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip — they do not involve Instagram selfies. The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the ‘celebrities’ will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz confirmed that the activists would be shown footage of the October 7th attacks when they arrived in the port of Ashdod.
“Antisemitic Greta and her Hamas-supporting friends should see exactly what the Hamas terrorist organisation – which they came to support and act on behalf of – truly is,” he said.
“They should see the atrocities committed against women, the elderly, and children, and understand whom Israel is fighting to defend itself.”
Katz also praised Israeli forces’ “swift and safe takeover” of the yacht, and said the IDF would “continue its just and moral fight against the Hamas murderers until their defeat, the release of all hostages, and the full restoration of Israel’s security”.
