The Madleen, a ship carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza, was intercepted in international waters, and the activists were taken to Israel.

The Israeli military intercepted a ship carrying humanitarian aid bound for the Gaza Strip. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg was on board. The incident occurred on 9 June when the Madleen, which had left Italy on 1 June, approached Palestinian territory.

According to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, Israeli forces’ forcibly intercepted’ the ship in international waters at around 3:02 a.m. Central European Time. Thunberg said in a pre-recorded video that they had been ‘kidnapped’ in international waters. Hamas condemned Israel’s actions, noting that the ship had been escorted to the Israeli port of Ashdod.

The Israeli government said it intended to prevent an ‘unauthorized’ breach of the Gaza naval blockade, arguing that it was necessary to prevent Palestinian militants from importing weapons. After the ship was intercepted, the Israeli Foreign Ministry published a photo of activists in orange life jackets being offered water and sandwiches.

Meanwhile, international pressure on Israel to increase humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip is mounting. Israel recently resumed humanitarian aid deliveries after a two-month hiatus and began cooperating with the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF). However, humanitarian organizations have criticized the GHF, and the UN has refused to cooperate with it due to concerns about its practices and neutrality.

There have been reports of deaths near GHF aid distribution points. According to the Gaza Civil Defence Agency, at least 10 people have been killed in Israeli attacks, including five civilians who were hit by shelling near an aid distribution center. The Israeli army claims that it opened fire on people who ‘continued to advance in a manner that posed a threat to soldiers’ despite warnings.

The Israeli military said it had found the body of Mohammed Sinwar, the alleged leader of Hamas in Gaza, in an ‘underground tunnel beneath the European Hospital in Khan Yunis.’ According to the military, Sinwar was killed on 13 May. Sinwar was the younger brother of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, whom Israel accused of orchestrating the 2023 attack. The Hamas attack killed 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians. According to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza, at least 54,880 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war, most of them civilians. The UN considers these figures to be reliable.

After the deaths of several Hamas leaders, Mohammed Sinwar was believed to have played a key role in decision-making on indirect negotiations with Israel. The military reported that ‘additional intelligence’ was found under the hospital where Sinwar’s body was discovered. According to experts, he probably took over as head of Hamas’ armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, after its leader, Mohammed Deif, was killed by Israel. The Palestinian group remains silent about the names of its top leadership.

READ FOR MORE ARTICLES HERE

READ FOR MORE ARTICLES HERE