The Israel Defense Forces is poised to halt the vessel Madleen, transporting Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and 11 other pro-Palestinian activists toward the Gaza Strip, before it crosses into Israeli territorial waters.
Israeli officials explained that pro-Palestinian lawmaker Rima Hassan’s diplomatic status as a European Parliament member delayed any earlier action against the ship. Hassan, one of the activists aboard the Madleen, tried to enter Israel several months ago but was deported when she landed at Ben-Gurion International Airport.
The Madleen activists reflect radical ideology. Hassan labeled the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, onslaught on Israel as “legitimate” and dismissed reports of the Bibas family’s massacre; Yasemin Acar from Germany rejoiced during Iran’s missile strikes on Israel and shifted protest slogans from “destroy Hamas” to “destroy Zionism”; and Thiago Ávila from Brazil, who joined mourners at Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s funeral, hailed him as a “martyr and revered leader.”
Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday, “I have instructed the IDF to act so that the Madleen flotilla does not reach Gaza. To the antisemitic Greta and her friends, I say clearly: You should turn back—because you will not reach Gaza.”
This voyage follows a failed attempt in May, when the ship Conscience was damaged near Malta. Organizers pointed to an Israeli drone attack, though Israel did not acknowledge responsibility.
The IDF affirmed its readiness to ensure the current propaganda attempt does not reach Gaza’s shores.
Recently, the Madleen veered off its Gaza trajectory to rescue migrants in the eastern Mediterranean after a distress signal from a boat carrying roughly 30 to 40 people.
The activists accused Greece of drone surveillance on Israel’s behalf, claiming it bolsters Israel’s dominance in the eastern Mediterranean.
They reported drones hovering 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Greece and urged supporters on social media to track the vessel live, asserting that public attention could thwart an Israeli move.
Originally published by Israel Hayom.