The Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship crew, who set sail a week ago from Sicily with humanitarian supplies for Gazans, includes Greta Thunberg and European Parliament member Rima Hassan
Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a statement warning the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) heading to Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid from violating Israel's naval blockade surrounding the Gaza Strip.
"To the antisemitic Greta Thunberg and her friends I say clearly: You should turn back, because you will not reach Gaza," said Katz in a statement, adding that Israel will act against any attempts to violate a blockade or assist terror organizations.
Thunberg, a climate campaigner, is among 12 activists aboard the Madleen vessel, which is operated by the FFC. The vessel departed Sicily last Sunday on a mission that aims to break the sea blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid, while raising awareness over the growing humanitarian crisis 20 months into the Israel-Hamas war.
In response to Katz's statement, FFC Press Officer Hay Sha Wiya said: "We will not be intimidated. The world is watching. And no amount of Zionist propaganda can obscure the truth: Israel is enforcing a genocidal blockade through brute military power, in open defiance of international law and basic human decency." Wiya continued, "We will continue forward. Gaza is not alone."
