Jerusalem – Agencies

The Israeli occupation authorities said they would prevent a humanitarian aid ship carrying international activists, including Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, from reaching the Gaza Strip, emphasizing that they "will not allow any breach of the maritime blockade imposed on the sector."

The ship, which set sail from one of the Italian ports, carries humanitarian supplies and a group of rights and humanitarian activists from various countries, in a symbolic initiative to break the ongoing maritime blockade on Gaza, which has intensified since the outbreak of the current war in October 2023.

The Israeli Army: "We will not allow a breach"

A spokesman for the Israeli army announced that "any attempt to approach the coast of Gaza without coordination with the Israeli authorities will be considered a breach of the blockade and will be met with necessary measures," adding that the maritime blockade is part of "preventing arms smuggling to terrorist groups," as he put it.

Reactions from human rights and international organizations

The activists' initiative, known as "Freedom Ships for Gaza," has generated wide interest in international human rights and media circles, and is considered a symbolic message to highlight the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the sector, where UN organizations warn of the risk of famine and the lack of essential medical supplies.

For her part, Thunberg has not issued an official statement yet, but her participation has received broad support across social media, amid a solidarity campaign by human rights activists and advocates for the Palestinian cause.

Background

These developments come at a time when Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip have continued for more than 8 months, amid rising international concern about their humanitarian repercussions, as human rights organizations have documented the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians, most of them women and children, in addition to the displacement of more than one million people.