The ship was forcibly taken from international waters to the Israeli port of Ashdod before reaching the Gaza coast
In a video message recorded from the aid ship ‘Madeleine’ heading towards Gaza, Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg said that Israeli forces had intercepted their ship in international waters. She called it a ‘kidnapping’ and sought international help for her speedy release.
Greta said, ‘My name is Greta Thunberg, I come from Sweden. We have been intercepted in international waters. We have been kidnapped by the occupying Israeli forces or forces supporting Israel.’
The video was reportedly recorded in advance keeping in mind the possibility of intervention by Israeli forces. In the video, Greta urged her friends, family and colleagues to put pressure on the Swedish government to secure her and her fellow passengers’ release.
Israel has seized the aid ship “Madeleine,” operated by the international non-profit organization Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which was heading to Gaza. The ship, which set sail from Italy, was forcibly taken from international waters to the Israeli port of Ashdod before reaching the Gaza coast, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said. The ship was carrying 13 people, including journalists and human rights activists.
Among those detained were Greta Thunberg, a 22-year-old Swedish environmental activist who has led the global climate movement; Baptiste André, a French doctor and activist; Omar Fayyad, a journalist for Al Jazeera; Thiago Avila, a Brazilian activist and coordinator of Freedom Flotilla Brazil; Rima Hassan, a French-Palestinian MEP for the Green Party in the European Parliament; and Suayb Ordu, a Turkish human rights activist; as well as several other human rights activists, journalists, and marine conservationists from France, Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands.
