CNN —

Israel vowed on Sunday to stop an aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists on board from reaching Gaza.

As of Sunday evening, the UK-flagged civilian vessel was north of Egypt in the Mediterranean Sea, slowly approaching the coast of Gaza. The “Madleen” is part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an organization that has campaigned against Israel’s blockade of Gaza and tried to break the siege by boat.

“We know that it’s a very risky mission and we know that previous experiences with flotillas like this have resulted in attacks, violence and even cases of death,” Thunberg told CNN on Saturday.

“But of course none of those risks are even remotely as high as the risk that Palestinians are facing everyday just by trying to survive.”

Defense Minister Israel Katz reiterated that the Madleen, operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, would not make it to the besieged enclave.

“I have instructed the IDF to ensure that the ‘Madleen’ flotilla does not reach Gaza,” said Katz in a statement, referring to the name of the ship.

Katz warned the ship that “you’d better turn back – because you will not reach Gaza.”

Thunberg and the Madleen expect to reach Gaza within the next day, organizer Yasemin Acar told CNN on Saturday.

“We are still on our way to Gaza. There’s no turning back, and we’re hoping to make it into Gaza within two days,” Acar said.

The coalition campaigns to end Israel’s blockade of Gaza and has tried to reach the enclave several times in the past

After an 11-week blockade that prevented any humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, Israel has begun allowing a trickle of aid in once again.

But it is only a fraction of the aid that entered the enclave before the war, with humanitarian organizations warning of a worsening humanitarian crisis and the growing risk of widespread famine.

Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, said on social media that the flotilla carries more than food.

“It is not only the aid, it is the HUMANITY THEY CARRY. For all of us,” she said.

The crew, which has publicized the location of the ship with an online tracker, began preparing for the possibility of interception by the Israeli military.

Among those joining the crew are Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament, and “Game of Thrones” actor Liam Cunningham.

“From both a legal and moral standpoint, Israel has no right to intercept this vessel,” the group said in a statement.

“The people of Gaza, under siege, starving, and facing the threat of annihilation, have the legal right to decide who enters their territories.”

Last month, another vessel from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition came under what its organizers said was an Israeli drone attack off the coast of Malta in international waters. The group did not provide evidence that the drone was Israeli, while the Israeli military has declined to comment on the alleged attack.

The ship, the “Conscience,” was heading to Malta, where a large contingent of activists were due to board before it departed for Gaza, more than 1,000 miles away, but had not made it into port, the group said.

The coalition told CNN that Thunberg was among those who were expected to board the vessel in Malta.

Israel’s defense minister has vowed to prevent an aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists from reaching the Gaza Strip.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said Sunday that Israel wouldn’t allow anyone to break its naval blockade of the Palestinian territory, which he said was aimed at preventing Hamas from importing arms.

Ms Thunberg, 22, is among 12 activists aboard the Madleen, which is operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.

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 in the Palestinian enclave.

The activists had said they planned to reach Gaza’s territorial waters as early as Sunday.

Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent, is among the others onboard. She has been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies toward the Palestinians.

Climate activist Greta Thunberg with activists of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, departing from Siciliy, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Salvatore Cavalli) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Named after Gaza’s only female fisher, the vessel is carrying climate activist Greta Thunberg and French-Palestinian Member of European Parliament Rima Hassan, among others.

Ms Thunberg shot to fame in 2018 when she decided to skip school as a 15-year-old in an attempt to persuade the Swedish parliament to take more action on climate change.

Speaking aboard the Madleen, Ms Thunberg told Middle East Eye: “We have promised ourselves and we have promised the Palestinian people to do everything we can.

“When our governments are failing us … then it falls on us to step up and be the adults in the room.

“We are just human beings, very concerned about what’s happening, and do not accept what is going on.”

After a three-month total blockade aimed at pressuring Hamas, Israel started allowing some basic aid into Gaza last month, but humanitarian workers have warned of famine unless the blockade and the war end.

An attempt last month by Freedom Flotilla to reach Gaza by sea failed after another of the group’s vessels was attacked by two drones while sailing in international waters off Malta. The group blamed Israel for the attack, which damaged the front section of the ship.

Palestinians carry food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, June 6, 2025 (AP)

The decades-long conflict in Gaza intensified when Hamas undertook a large-scale attack in southern Israel on 7 October 2023, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 individuals, predominantly civilians, and the capture of 251 hostages.

Currently, 55 hostages remain captive, with less than half believed to be alive, following releases through ceasefire agreements and other arrangements. In the course of the war, Israel has recovered numerous bodies, including three recently, and successfully rescued eight living hostages.

During this time, Israel’s military actions have led to the deaths of over 54,000 Palestinians according to Gaza’s Health Ministry,

While the ministry reports that women and children constitute the majority of fatalities, it does not specify the exact number of civilians versus combatants killed. Israel claims to have eliminated over 20,000 militants, though it has not provided substantiating evidence.

The conflict has devastated significant portions of Gaza, displacing approximately 90 per cent of its population. The territory’s roughly 2 million Palestinian residents are now almost entirely dependent on international aid, as nearly all of Gaza’s food production capabilities have been decimated.

The Israeli defence minister has threatened to “take all necessary measures” to prevent a humanitarian ship carrying climate campaigner Greta Thunberg from reaching Gaza.

The Madleen, a boat operated by the activist group Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), says it is attempting to reach the shores of the territory to bring in a symbolic amount of aid and raise international awareness of the continuing humanitarian crisis.

But on Sunday, Israel Katz ordered the Israeli military to stop the ship from getting anywhere near Gaza.

“I have instructed the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] to act so that the hate flotilla … does not reach the shores of Gaza – and to take all necessary measures to that end,” Katz said in a statement.

“To the antisemitic Greta [Thunberg] and her friends who echo Hamas propaganda, I say clearly: You’d better turn back – because you will not reach Gaza. Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade or to assist terrorist organisations – by sea, by air, and by land.”

Thunberg, who has said she is taking part in the mission “because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity”, has rejected previous Israeli accusations of antisemitism.

On board the vessel alongside her 10 other activists from Germany, France, Brazil, Turkey, Sweden, Spain and the Netherlands. They include Rima Hassan, a French member of the European parliament of Palestinian descent who has been barred from entering Israel.

Responding to Katz on Sunday, they said: “The statement by Israel’s defence minister is yet another example of Israel threatening the unlawful use of force against civilians – and attempting to justify that violence with smears.

“We will not be intimidated,” it added. “The world is watching.”

As of Sunday evening, the Madleen, which left the port of Catania in Sicily, southern Italy, on 1 June, was approximately 160 nautical miles from Gaza.

“We are monitoring the situation closely,” the FFC said. “We remain calm, resolute, and prepared for the possibility of an Israeli attack. We reiterate our call to world governments to demand that Israel stand down. Israel has no right to obstruct our effort to reach Gaza.”

Israel’s blockade on Gaza has been in place for years, even before the Israel-Hamas war that erupted in October 2023 after the Hamas attacks on Israel in which 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 251 people were taken hostage.

It was slightly eased in mid-May after nearly three months, allowing a limited amount of humanitarian aid into the territory. But malnutrition is spreading, medics and aid workers have warned, with UN officials describing Gaza as “the hungriest place on Earth”.

Katz said on Sunday that the blockade was essential to Israel’s national security as it seeks to destroy Hamas. “The State of Israel will not allow anyone to break the naval blockade on Gaza, whose primary purpose is to prevent the transfer of weapons to Hamas,” he said.

More than 54,000 Palestinians have died during Israel’s assault, according to Gaza health authorities, with much of the territory reduced to rubble.

Israel’s plan to concentrate food delivery in hubs guarded by private security contractors and the Israeli military and provided by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has proved to be chaotic and dangerous, critics say.

At least four people were killed and others wounded by Israeli fire on Sunday, about a kilometre from a food distribution point in Gaza, Palestinian medics and officials said. The deaths bring the number of people who have been killed while trying to find food in Gaza since 27 May, when GHF became responsible for civilian food provision, to 110. More than 1,000 have been injured.

Israel said it was expecting to intercept the flotilla in the next 48 hours.

Before leaving Sicily on board the Madleen, which is carrying a symbolic amount of rice and infant formula, Thunberg told reporters: “We are doing this because, no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying. Because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity. And, no matter how dangerous this mission is, it’s not even near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the livestreamed genocide.”

Thunberg, who became an internationally famous climate activist after organising protests in her native Sweden, had been due to board a previous Freedom Flotilla ship, the Conscience, last month. It was bombed by drones and disabled while in international waters off Malta as it headed towards the Palestinian territory.

Last Updated: June 08, 2025, 23:02 IST

“To the antisemitic Greta and her fellow Hamas propagandists — you should turn back, because you will not make it to Gaza,” Katz declared.

Israel’s government on Sunday said it would block an aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists from reaching the Gaza Strip. Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that Israel would not allow the vessel to break its naval blockade on Gaza, which is intended to stop Hamas from importing weapons.

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Thunberg, a climate activist, is one of 12 activists aboard the Madleen, operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. The boat left Sicily last Sunday with the goal of breaking the blockade and delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza, while highlighting the humanitarian crisis caused by the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

The activists had planned to reach Gaza’s waters by Sunday. However, Thiago Ávila, a Brazilian activist on board, reported that their tracking and communication devices were being jammed approximately 160 nautical miles from Gaza.

Among the passengers is Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament of Palestinian descent, who has been barred from entering Israel due to her stance against Israeli policies towards Palestinians.

Israel’s government told the military to stop a charity aid boat carrying activists including Greta Thunberg from reaching the Gaza Strip.

Defence Minister Israel Katz vowed his nation wouldn’t allow anyone to break its naval blockade of the Palestinian territory, which he said was aimed at preventing Hamas from importing arms.

He said in a statement on Sunday: “To the anti-Semitic Greta and her fellow Hamas propagandists – I will say this clearly: You should turn back, because you will not make it to Gaza.”

Climate campaigner Thunberg is among 12 aboard the Madleen, which is operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.

The British-flagged yacht departed Sicily last week 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.

It comes as six Palestinians were killed and several others wounded by Israeli gunfire in the latest deadly incident close to an aid distribution centre in southern Gaza.

The Hamas-run Civil Defence agency says people had gathered to collect food supplies on Saturday morning when the shooting started. Reports quoting an eyewitness said the Israelis opened fire when people tried to advance towards the site.

Activist Greta Thunberg sits aboard the aid ship Madleen (via REUTERS)

The Israeli military said it fired warning shots at suspects who approached them in a threatening manner.

Dozens of Palestinians have been killed and hundreds injured trying to get to the distribution centre this week.

Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila, who is on board Thunberg’s boat, posted a video on social media saying someone appeared to be jamming their tracking and communication devices about 160 nautical miles from Gaza.

Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament of Palestinian descent, is among the others.

She has been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies toward the Palestinians.

Thunberg said she joined the Madleen crew to “challenge Israel’s illegal siege and escalating war crimes” in Gaza and highlight the urgent need for humanitarian aid. She has rejected previous Israeli accusations of anti-Semitism.

It’s the 6th day of our journey onboard the Madleen to #breakthesiege of Gaza and create a people’s humanitarian sea corridor! The Freedom Flotilla Coalition will never stop due to the Zionists threats. We know we have billions of people along with the 12 of us on this boat! pic.twitter.com/FfIDDtVbX7 — Thiago Ávila | Gaza Freedom Flotilla (@thiagoavilabr) June 6, 2025

Israel went to war with Hamas in October 2023 after the Islamist militants launched a murderous surprise attack on southern Israel, killing more 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to the enclave.

More than 54,000 Palestinians have died during the ongoing Israeli assault, according to Gaza health authorities, with much of the territory reduced to rubble. The United Nations has warned that most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population is at risk of famine.

Katz said the blockade was essential to Israel’s national security as it seeks to eliminate Hamas.

“The State of Israel will not allow anyone to break the naval blockade on Gaza, whose primary purpose is to prevent the transfer of weapons to Hamas,” he said.