Israeli troops intercepted a yacht attempting to deliver food and infant supplies to Gaza early Monday morning. The yacht had 12 passengers aboard, including well-known Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. The Israeli navy intercepted the boat in international waters and towed it into the port city of Ashdod.
The group attempted to ship rice and infant formula to Gaza to assist starving citizens there. They understood that it was an insignificant portion of assistance, but they wanted to protest the Israeli closure of aid reaching Gaza.
Israel Calls It a Publicity Stunt
Israeli authorities were not impressed. They characterized the vessel as a “selfie yacht” and claimed the entire exercise was for attention and Instagram selfies. Israel’s foreign affairs ministry stated that while Greta and her peers were attempting to gain publicity with less than one truck full of aid, they had already admitted 1,200 truckloads of aid into Gaza over the last two weeks.
The Israeli government promises to return all the passengers to their countries of origin. The passengers were from Brazil, France, Germany, Spain, Turkey, and other nations.
Countries Want Their Citizens Back
A number of governments complained about their citizens being held. French President Emmanuel Macron demanded that Israel return six French nationals on the vessel immediately, including a member of the European Parliament. Turkey described the entire ordeal as a “terrible attack” on individuals in international waters.
Sweden’s government indicated that it’s negotiating with Israeli authorities to retrieve its citizens safely.
Activists Say They Were Kidnapped
Before the activists’ boat was commandeered by Israeli troops, they recorded videos stating “if you see this, we have been kidnapped by the Israeli military.” Video footage captured them sitting with their hands raised and tossing their phones over the side of the boat as Israeli soldiers boarded.
Background of the Conflict
All of this mess began after Hamas struck Israel on October 7, 2023, and killed around 1,200 and took 251 hostages. Israel has been battling in Gaza and inhibiting most aid from entering ever since. More than 54,000 individuals have died in Gaza, according to local health officials. Israel reports that it must inspect boats because weapons could be disguised within the shipments of aid.
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