Pro-Palestinian activists: Israel's army intercepts boat off Gaza Strip

A few weeks after the "Madleen" with Greta Thunberg on board, Israel intercepted another ship attempting to break the naval blockade off Gaza. A live broadcast by the activists shows her arrest.

Israeli soldiers took control of a boat carrying pro-Palestinian activists heading for the Gaza Strip. This was seen in video footage released as a livestream by the so-called Freedom Flotilla that evening. The Israeli Foreign Ministry later stated that the navy had prevented the boat from "illegally entering the coastal region off the Gaza Strip."

The boat is now "safely en route to the Israeli coast," the Foreign Ministry further stated, adding that all passengers are "safe." The Freedom Flotilla, for its part, wrote online that the boat was "illegally intercepted and boarded by Israeli forces" while "in international waters."

The activists' live broadcast showed crew members sitting on the ship's deck, holding their hands up and whistling the song "Bella Ciao," attributed to the anti-fascist Italian partisans during World War II, as the soldiers took control of the boat, which the activists had named "Handala." Three live broadcasts of the scene cut out a few minutes later.

Started in Sicily

The "Handala" left the port of Syracuse, Sicily, on July 13. On board were around 15 activists, along with medical supplies, food, and support for children. The activists intended to use the "Handala" to break the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The ship set sail about six weeks after another ship belonging to the coalition was stopped by Israel off the Gaza Strip. Among those on board was Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.

The aim of the new campaign with the "Handala", which is funded by donations, is to show "human, international solidarity with the Palestinian population of the Gaza Strip," explained a spokeswoman for the Freedom Flotilla.

Independently of the war in the Gaza Strip, Israel maintains a strict sea-blockade of the Palestinian territory. The blockade was established in 2007 after the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas seized power and is officially supported by Egypt, which borders the coastal strip to the south. The blockade is intended to prevent arms deliveries to Hamas.