From: BBC June 9, 2025
Activists say Israeli troops have boarded aid ship

Activists say Israeli troops have boarded a yacht trying to bring humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
"Connection has been lost" on the "Madleen" the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) campaign group said on the Telegram app.


Climate activist Greta Thunberg is among those aboard the vessel, which is believed to be off the Egyptian coast.

Israel's foreign ministry said earlier that the country's navy had told the yacht to change course "due to its approach toward a restricted area".
Israel says a blockade is necessary to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas militants in Gaza.

The FFC said the vessel, which left Sicily on Friday, was carrying humanitarian aid and had been "prepared for the possibility of an Israeli attack".

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz had warned that the yacht should turn back and that Israel would act against any attempt to breach the blockade.

He wrote in a post on X on Sunday: "I have instructed the Israel Defense Forces [IDF] to act to prevent the "Madleen" hate flotilla from reaching the shores of Gaza and to take whatever measures are necessary to that end."

Katz says the purpose of Israel's blockade, which has been in place since 2007 is to "prevent the transfer of weapons to Hamas" and is essential to Israel's security as it seeks to destroy Hamas. 18 years... How is that going?