The Israeli foreign ministry has portrayed the voyage as nothing more than a publicity stunt by 'celebrity activists', referring to the Madleen as 'the selfie yacht'.

Ms Thunberg, 22, is among 12 activists on board the ship, hoping to 'break [Israel's] siege on the Gaza Strip' with a delivery of humanitarian aid.

Lo chiamano lo “Yacht dei selfie’, pubblicata una foto di Greta Thunberg