Climate and political activist Greta Thunberg stated in a pre-recorded video that Israeli forces had ‘kidnapped’ her after they ‘intercepted’ the vessel she was traveling on.
The 22-year-old Swedish activist, accompanied by 11 other campaigners, was journeying to the Gaza Strip aboard a boat called Madleen to deliver aid to Palestinians and highlight the ongoing humanitarian crisis, they announced last Sunday (June 1).
The British-flagged vessel operated by Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which departed on the same day from Sicily, was reportedly halted by Israeli forces while navigating international waters.
Before departing, Thunberg stated: “We are doing this because, no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying. Because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity. And, no matter how dangerous this mission is, it’s not even near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the livestreamed genocide.”
Israel has condemned and strongly denied any allegations of genocide.
In a pre-recorded video posted to Twitter at 8.43pm ET yesterday (June 8), the climate campaigner can be heard declaring: “My name is Greta Thunberg and I am from Sweden. If you see this video we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces – or forces that support Israel. I urge all my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible.”
The FFC characterizes itself as a ‘people-to-people grassroots solidarity movement’ with its mission ‘to end the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza’.
The vessel carried humanitarian supplies for Palestinians, including food items such as rice and baby formula.
Subsequently, Israel’s Foreign Ministry released a statement confirming that the Madleen is ‘safely making its way to the shores of Israel’ and that those aboard are ‘expected to return to their home countries’.
They additionally confirmed that the passengers were safe and unharmed, and were provided with sandwiches and water.
In a statement on their social media platform, the foreign ministry also commented: “While Greta and others attempted to stage a media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain publicity – and which included less than a single truckload of aid – more than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza from Israel within the past two weeks, and in addition, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has distributed close to 11 million meals directly to civilians in Gaza. There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip – they do not involve Instagram selfies. 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.