June 8 (UPI) -- Israel said Sunday that it would use "any means necessary" to stop a flotilla of boats carrying a dozen pro-Palestinian activists and aid from reaching Gaza, and was attempting to stop the boats from breaching an Israeli naval brigade.
One of the boats, a small, civilian boat called the Madleen, is carrying activist Greta Thunberg, and was 160 nautical miles off the coast of Egypt on Sunday, according to a ship tracker. Local reports said the Madleen's communication systems may have been interfered with so the boat's exact location was unknown, according to the Times of Israel.
The Madleen is part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition carrying aid to the region that set sail from Sicily on June 1. European Parliamentarian Rima Hassan is also aboard the Madleen.
While the small boat is said to be carrying aid and activists, Israel has said it is critical to prevent weapons smuggling into the region. Israel imposed the blockade on Gaza in 2007, but it has intensified since the Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023, killing more than 1,200 people. The ensuing battle has left tens of thousands of Gazans dead.
Israeli defense minister Israel Katz is leading efforts to keep the Madleen, which is carrying only a token amount of aid, from reaching Gazans.
