Israel dismissed the voyage as a pro-Hamas publicity stunt. “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,” the Foreign Ministry said.
Israel released an image of Thunberg sitting on a plane ahead of its departure for Paris. She usually refuses to fly because of the carbon emissions of the airline industry.
Organisers released a video of Thunberg on Monday, filmed on board the vessel before it was captured, in which she said that if it were taken, that would mean Israel had kidnapped her and the rest of the crew in international waters.
MOCKED BY TRUMP
United States President Donald Trump mocked this: “I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg,” he said. “She’s a young, angry person … I think she has to go to an anger management class.”
Israel has imposed a naval blockade on the coastal enclave since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007. Israel says it aims to stop weapons from reaching Hamas.
The blockade has remained in place through conflicts, including the present war, which began when Hamas-led militants rampaged through southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages by Israeli tallies.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive against Hamas has since killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in Hamas-run Gaza, and destroyed most of the homes of its 2.3 million residents.
In March, Israel imposed a total blockade of all supplies reaching Gaza, which the United Nations says has driven the population to the brink of famine. Over the past two weeks, Israel has allowed limited food supplies to be distributed by a new Israeli-backed group, a step Israel says is necessary to prevent Hamas from diverting aid.
