Tel Aviv. Greta Thunberg and the other activists aboard the Madleen aid flotilla will be forced to watch footage of the October 7 attacks, Israel's defense minister said as the boat was seized before reaching Gaza, in what the Freedom Flotilla Coalition called a"hijacking."
The British-flagged ship was towed to an Israeli port early Monday morning after being intercepted by Israeli forces, the Foreign Office said.
He added that all passengers on board were safe and unharmed.
Operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a pro-Palestinian group, the group was transporting aid to Gaza after setting sail from Sicily on June 1.
The ship"is heading safely to the shores of Israel," the Israeli Foreign Ministry said, sharing footage of activists receiving sandwiches and water.
For now, the Irish government accused Israel of"once again halting" the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip with the boarding of the Madleen, while Spain summoned the Israeli chargé d'affaires in Madrid, Dan Poraz.
President Emmanuel Macron urged Israel to allow the return of its six citizens aboard the Madleen to France without delay, while Brazil's government called for the release of all crew members of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry asserted:"The intervention by Israeli forces against the Madleen ship, which was sailing in international waters to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and on board our citizens, is a clear violation of international law."
"The attack on this flotilla, which took place in international waters, is considered a form of piracy under international law," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esemaeil Baqaei said in Tehran, according to the Tasnim news agency.
Amnesty International Secretary General Agnès Callamard said: “By intercepting and forcibly blocking the Madleen, which was carrying humanitarian aid and a crew of solidarity activists, Israel has once again failed to meet its legal obligations towards civilians in the occupied Gaza Strip and demonstrated its chilling disregard for the legally binding orders of the International Court of Justice.
In addition to Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, the crew of the Madleen included Brazilian Thiago Ávila, Irish Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham, French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hasán, and Spaniard Sergio Toribio, among other activists.
