A boat of 12 activists – including Greta Thunberg – headed for Gaza has been diverted to Israel.
The British-flagged yacht Madleen – operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) – set sail from Italy on 1 May with an aim to break Israel’s sea blockade and deliver aid to people in Gaza.
But the Israeli foreign ministry said on Monday that the boat is instead “safely making its way to the shores of Israel”.
The ministry said all passengers were safe and unharmed, but the FFC claimed the yacht had been “kidnapped by Israeli forces”.
The coalition later released pre-recorded messages from them after previously saying that the “Israeli army had boarded” the vessel.
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Who is on board?
A politician, journalist and doctor are among those who have joined climate activist Ms Thunberg on the yacht.
The 12 passengers – or volunteers as the FCC refers to them as – are from across the globe. Half of them are from France, while others are from Brazil, Germany, Spain, Turkey and the Netherlands.
It was previously believed that Irish actor Liam Cunningham was going to be one of those on the Madleen, but the Game of Thrones actor has not been listed as a passenger.
Rima Hassan is a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent.
She has been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies toward the Palestinians.
Baptiste Andre is a French doctor who is travelling with the group to assist passengers injured in potential confrontations with Israeli forces, according to Sky News’ US partner network, NBC News.
While Omar Faiad is a correspondent for Al Jazeera Mubasher, the first 24-hour Middle Eastern news channel.
The full list of passengers includes:
• Greta Thunberg – Sweden
• Rima Hassan – French
• Yasemin Acar – Germany
• Baptiste Andre – France
• Thiago Avila – Brazil
• Omar Faiad – France
• Pascal Maurieras – France
• Yanis Mhamdi – France
• Suayb Ordu – Turkiye
• Sergio Toribio – Spain
• Mark van Rennes – Netherlands
• Reva Viard – France
Is the UK responsible for the yacht?
The FFC has said the UK government has a “legal duty” to protect the yacht and its crew and passengers as it is flying under the British flag.
In a post on X on 6 June, the coalition wrote: “Under international law, the UK must: Prevent genocide, reject Israel’s illegal blockade of Gaza, defend its flagged ship from unlawful attacks.”
After the boat was diverted by Israeli forces, Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on Palestine, also urged the UK government to intervene.
Any vessel registered in the UK is defined as a British ship and is allowed to fly the Red Ensign flag – a red flag with the Union Jack in the top left-hand corner.
The UK government typically provides support to vessels flying the Red Ensign, but there has been no comment from the UK Foreign Office on the Madleen, or official confirmation that it is a registered British ship.
What happened to the last Freedom Flotilla?
Last month, an attempt by the Freedom Flotilla to reach Gaza by sea failed after another of the group’s vessels was attacked by two drones while sailing in international waters off Malta.
The group blamed Israel for the attack, which damaged the front section of the ship.
Read more:
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On Sunday, Israeli defence minister Israel Katz ordered the military to prevent the latest mission from reaching Gaza, calling the mission a propaganda effort in support of Hamas.
Israel imposed a naval blockade on the coastal enclave after Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007.
The blockade has remained in place through multiple conflicts, including the current war, which began after a Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on 7 October 2023.
