Cnn
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Israel intercepted a Gaza -related assistance vessel Carrying Greta Thunberg and other eminent activists, holding those on board, the ship being taken to Israel.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) said earlier that the Israeli army had embarked on “Madleen”, which was trying to provide assistance to Gaza.
“Passengers should return to their country of origin,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel in a position on X.
Climate activist Thunberg, the actor of “Game of Thrones” Liam Cunningham and Rima Hassan – a French member of the European Parliament – are among those of Madleen.
The FFC group published a photo on Telegram early Monday, local time, showing members of the crew sitting inside the boat with life jackets and their hands in the air. No soldier of the Israeli defense force can be seen in the image.
In a previous position, the FFC said that the ship had been “assigned in international waters”.
“The quadcopters surround the ship, spraying it with a white paint -shaped substance. Communications are blocked and disturbing sounds are played on the radio,” said FFC on its telegram channel.
Israel has repeatedly promised to prevent the aid boat from reaching Gaza and described the ship as a “selfie yacht” carrying “celebrities”.
“I asked the FDIs to make sure that the” Madleen “flotilla does not reach Gaza,” Israel Katz Israel Katz Minister Israeli Minister Katz said on Sunday.
The aid boat reported for the first time signs of Israeli military action at the early hours on Monday morning.
“Just a short time ago, two Israeli drones were above the FFC Madleen and dropped or sprayed a kind of white chemical on Madleen. Now, Madleen seems surrounded by Israeli naval commandos,” CNN Huwaida Arraf told CNN.
In a live video of the boat and published by the FFC, activist Yasmin Acar showed a white substance on the bridge, saying that it had been abandoned on the ship. Acar was heard later saying that it affected his eyes. Before the end of the live flow, ACAR could be heard that the Israeli army communicated with the board of directors.
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the group “had tried to stage a media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain advertising”.
“There are ways to provide help from the Gaza Strip-they do not imply Instagram selfies,” he added.
THE “Shy“Is part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an organization that campaigned against the blockade of Israel of Gaza and tried to break the seat by boat.
The crew, which made known the location of the ship with an online tracker, began to prepare for the possibility of interception by the Israeli army. On Monday morning, the British flag civilian was north of Egypt in the Mediterranean Sea, slowly approaching the Gaza coast.
“We know that it is a very risky mission and we know that previous experiences with Flatillas like this have resulted in attacks, violence and even cases of death,” Thunberg told CNN on Saturday.
After an 11 -week blockade that prevented any humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, Israel began to allow a aid net once again.
But it is only a fraction of the aid that entered the enclave before the war, with humanitarian organizations warning an aggravation of the humanitarian crisis and the growing risk of generalized famine.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel published a video earlier on X showing a member of the naval staff issuing what seems to be a radio message to the ship.
“The maritime area off the coasts of Gaza is closed to maritime traffic,” said the unidentified naval staff member. It is later heard that the help saying that the aid must be delivered by “established channels”.
In a statement, the ministry said that “unauthorized attempts to vioder the blockade are dangerous, illegal and undergo the ongoing humanitarian efforts.”
“We call on all actors to act responsible and channel humanitarian aid through legitimate and coordinated mechanisms, not by provocation,” added the ministry in a press release from Monday to local time.
This is a story in development and will be updated.