Israel warns it will stop aid flotilla reaching Gaza

Israel has warned that its soldiers “will take all the necessary measures” to prevent a boat from transporting pro-Palestinian activists and humanitarian aid reaching Gaza.

The Madleen yacht is 160 naval miles from the Gaza Strip and tries to challenge the Israeli naval blockade in the territory.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the crew of 12 people, who includes climate demonstrators Greta Thunberg, should turn around and that Israel will act against any attempted blockade violation.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) said that the ship, which left Sicily on Friday, wore humanitarian aid and was “prepared for the possibility of an Israeli attack”.

Katz said that the blockade’s objective was to “prevent the transfer of weapons to Hamas” and was essential to the security of Israel as it seeks to destroy the Palestinian Armed group Hamas.

He warned in an article on X Sunday: “I instructed the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] Act to prevent the “madeleine” [sic] hates the flotilla to reach the banks of Gaza – and to take all the necessary measures for this purpose. “”

Addressing directly to the crew, he added: “To the anti -Semitic spokespersons of Greta and his colleagues of propaganda in Hamas, I say clearly: you should go back – because you will not reach Gaza.

“Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade or help terrorist organizations – at sea, in the air and on earth.”

The FFC qualified the Minister’s statement as an example of Israel threatening the illegal use of force against civilians and “tries to justify this violence with smear”.

“We will not be intimidated. The world is watching,” said FFC press agent Hay Sha Wiya.

“Madleen is a civilian ship, not armed and sailing in international waters, transporting defenders of humanitarian aid and human rights around the world … Israel has no right to obstruct our efforts to reach Gaza.”

The group added that the ship had already experienced a temporary signal scrambling, showing its location near Jordan.

Madleen has a symbolic amount of help, including rice and baby formula, said the group.

The people of Brazil, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Turkey are on board.

The Israeli media say that his navy should block the boat before reaching Gaza.

“We will calmly take control of the ship, lead them to Israel and expel them abroad the same night,” an Israeli official said in Jerusalem Post.

In 2010, Israeli commandos killed 10 people When they climbed on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, who led a help flotilla towards Gaza.

It has been almost 20 months since Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to an unprecedented cross -border attack led by Hamas against Israel, in which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 54,880 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Ministry of Health managed by Hamas in the territory.

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