Israel has vowed to block a yacht carrying humanitarian aid and international activists, including Greta Thunberg, from reaching Gaza.
Defence Minister Israel Katz instructed the Israeli military on Sunday to intercept the Madleen, a British-flagged vessel currently sailing near Egypt’s coast.
The yacht, operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, left Sicily on June 6 and carries a symbolic cargo of rice and baby formula.
Katz denounced the mission, labelling Thunberg and her fellow activists as “antisemitic” and warned the boat would not reach Gaza.
Thunberg said she joined the mission to challenge what she described as “Israel’s illegal siege and escalating war crimes” in Gaza.
Israel maintains that its naval blockade is essential to national security and designed to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas.
The military is reportedly preparing to intercept the vessel and redirect it to the Israeli port of Ashdod, where crew members would be deported.
Among the 12 people aboard are Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament, and press officer Hay Sha Wiya.
Wiya confirmed the boat was 160 nautical miles from Gaza and that the crew was bracing for possible interception.
The voyage recalls a deadly 2010 incident when Israeli forces killed 10 activists aboard the Mavi Marmara en route to Gaza.
The current war in Gaza has claimed more than 54,000 Palestinian lives, according to local health authorities, with the UN warning of looming famine.
Israel launched its offensive after a Hamas-led attack in October 2023 killed over 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.
The symbolic voyage of the Madleen underscores rising global concern over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.