“The ‘selfie yacht’ of the ‘celebrities’ is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries,” Israel’s foreign ministry said in a post on social media.
The humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave is dire, with reports of widespread hunger and a collapsing health system caused by Israel’s restrictions on aid and ongoing military offensive.
On Sunday, at least 12 people were reportedly killed by gunfire on their way to aid distribution points in Gaza run by a controversial Israeli and U.S.-backed group known as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Israel has spent more than 18 months conducting a retaliatory assault in the Gaza Strip — killing more than 50,000 people, according to local health officials, and waging a blockade that has brought the coastal enclave to the brink of famine, according to the U.N. — after the Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out a violent attack on Israeli soil, killing more than 1,000 people and taking hostages.
European politicians have been increasing political pressure on Israel to stop its war on Gaza, with the EU set to review its political and economic agreement with the country over the “catastrophic” situation in the Palestinian enclave.
The Left Group urged the EU, the United Nations and national governments to demand the release of the Madleen passengers, as well as the free passage of the vessel to Gaza, calling the interception “a blatant violation of international law.”
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said he told the armed forces to show the Madleen passengers a video of Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023, calling Thunberg “antisemitic” and Hassan “a Hamas supporter.”
