‘Hamas-Sumud passengers’: Israel to deport Gaza flotilla activists, including Greta Thunberg, to Europe
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Hamas-Sumud passengers’: Israel to deport Gaza flotilla activists, including Greta Thunberg, to Europe")
Global Sumud Flotilla. Inset: Greta Thunberg and other activists that were detained by Israel Photograph: (Combination created using images from AFP and X)
Israel says pro-Palestinian activists from the Gaza aid flotilla, including Greta Thunberg, will be deported to Europe. The flotilla was intercepted at sea, with Israel again hinting at Hamas links while insisting all passengers are “safe and in good health.”
The Israeli foreign ministry on Thursday (Oct 2) announced that it would deport pro-Palestinian activists who were detained from a Global Sumud Flotilla to Europe. Once again hinting at alleged Hamas links, Israel said that the passengers of the flotilla, which includes famed Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, were on their way to Israel from where they'll be deported to Europe. "Hamas-Sumud passengers…are safe and in good health," the ministry said on X. This comes after reports that Israeli naval forces intercepted several vessels carrying humanitarian aid to famine-stricken Gaza.
Israel intercepts Gaza aid flotilla
Thunberg's flotilla, called the Global Sumud Flotilla, set sail from Spain last month with around 45 vessels, aiming to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza and deliver symbolic supplies. Organisers said three boats—the Sirius, Alma, and Adara—were intercepted about 70 nautical miles from the Gaza coast. In a statement, as reported by AFP, Global Sumud Flotilla said, "Around 8:30 pm Gaza time (1730 GMT), several vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla, including the Alma, Sirius and Adara, were illegally intercepted and boarded by Israeli occupation forces in international waters". The group added that contact with several other vessels was lost soon after the interceptions. "Beyond the confirmed interceptions, live streams and communications with several other vessels have been lost".
On X, the group called the interception “unlawful” and said that it was a “blatant act of desperation” to keep “Gaza starved and cut off”.
Over 30 of 45 aid ships intercepted by Israel
According to the flotilla's tracking system, by Thursday, more than 30 of the 45 ships had been intercepted or were presumed intercepted. The rest, according to Flotilla spokesperson Saif Abukeshek, were determined to continue. "They are determined. They are motivated, and they are doing everything within their hands to be able to break the siege by this early morning," he said.
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