Israeli forces on Monday intercepted a Gaza-bound aid boat carrying Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, preventing the vessel from reaching the blockaded Palestinian enclave.
The boat, named Madleen, departed from Italy on 1 June in an effort to draw international attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The United Nations has described Gaza as the "hungriest place on Earth," with its entire population at risk of famine after nearly two years of war.
Contact with the vessel was lost early Monday morning, according to AFP.
At around 3:02 a.m. CET (0102 GMT), Israeli forces "forcibly intercepted" the Madleen in international waters as it approached Gaza, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said in a statement.
"If you see this video we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters," Thunberg said in a pre-recorded video shared by the coalition.
Hamas, the Palestinian militant group governing Gaza, condemned the interception. It said the boat was being diverted to the Israeli port of Ashdod.
Ahead of the interception, Israel had already vowed to block the Madleen from breaching the longstanding naval blockade on Gaza. Officials said the measure was necessary to prevent Palestinian militants from receiving weapons. On Sunday, Defence Minister Israel Katz defended the blockade, saying it had been in place years before the Israel-Hamas war.
After diverting the boat, Israel’s foreign ministry released a photo of the detained activists wearing orange life jackets while being offered water and sandwiches.
"All the passengers of the 'selfie yacht' are safe and unharmed," the ministry posted on social media. It also stated that the activists were expected to return to their home countries.
"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," it added.
The incident has further intensified international calls for Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, where severe shortages of food and basic supplies persist. Israel recently agreed to resume aid deliveries after a two-month suspension and has coordinated with the newly formed, US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
However, several humanitarian groups have criticized the GHF. The United Nations refuses to work with it, citing concerns over its practices and neutrality.
Tensions around the aid effort have escalated in recent weeks. According to Gaza’s civil defence agency, dozens have been killed near GHF distribution sites since late May. The agency reported that at least 10 people were killed on Sunday alone, including five civilians who were shot near an aid center.
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said civilians were attempting to access aid west of Rafah in southern Gaza, at a site managed by the GHF.
Witness Abdallah Nour al-Din told AFP that "people started gathering in the Al-Alam area of Rafah" in the early morning.
"After about an hour and a half, hundreds moved toward the site and the army opened fire," he said.
The Israeli military said it fired at people who "continued advancing in a way that endangered the soldiers" despite repeated warnings.
The GHF, however, denied any incidents occurred at their distribution centers on that day.
Outside Nasser Hospital, AFPTV footage showed mourners grieving beside bloodied body bags. Among them was Lin al-Daghma, who wept by her father’s remains.
"I can't see you like this," she said.
Lin spoke of the hardships Gazans face in obtaining aid following the blockade, even after restrictions were eased.
In Gaza City, displaced Palestinian Umm Ghassan told AFP that she could not access aid at a GHF site.
"There were so many people, and there was a lot of shooting. I was afraid to go in, but there were people who risked their lives for their children and families," she said.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces on Sunday also confirmed the death of Mohammed Sinwar, a senior Hamas leader in Gaza, who was killed during an operation on 13 May. His body was reportedly found in an underground tunnel beneath the European Hospital in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza.
Sinwar, the younger brother of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, was believed to have played a major role in leading Hamas after several of its senior figures were killed in Israeli operations. He was also suspected to have taken command of the group’s armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.
The Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023 triggered the ongoing war, resulting in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to AFP’s tally of official figures.
Gaza’s health ministry says that at least 54,880 people, the majority civilians, have been killed in the territory since the start of the war. The UN considers these figures credible.
Following the deaths of key Hamas leaders, Mohammed Sinwar was thought to be involved in indirect negotiations with Israel. Alongside Sinwar’s body, Israeli forces said they recovered "additional intelligence" hidden "underneath the hospital, right under the emergency room."
Despite the ongoing conflict, Hamas has remained secretive about the leadership of its top ranks.