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?

The FFC has argued that the sea blockade is illegal, characterising Katz's statement as an example of Israel threatening the unlawful use of force against civilians and "attempting to justify that violence with smears".

"We will not be intimidated. The world is watching," FFC press officer Hay Sha Wiya said.

"The Madleen is a civilian vessel, unarmed and sailing in international waters, carrying humanitarian aid and human rights defenders from across the globe... Israel has no right to obstruct our effort to reach Gaza."

The Madleen was carrying a symbolic quantity of aid, including rice and baby formula, the group said.

Citizens of Brazil, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Turkey are onboard.

Pro - Palestine activists are also among the rioters in LA. They expect a rough night.

Israel: Activist ship carrying Greta Thunberg changes course, heads for Israeli coast
Tel Aviv- Israel's Foreign Ministry says the Freedom Flotilla Coalition activist ship Madleen, which was headed to Gaza, has diverted its course to the coast of Israel. All aboard are safe, the ministry said, and the activists will return to their countries of origin once they reach land, according to Israel.
10 minutes ago
Freedom Flotilla Coalition said Israeli military forces “boarded” the ship overnight Sunday into Monday. Contact with the Madleen has been lost, the organization added in a Telegram message.

The Israeli navy had ordered the ship, which is heading for Gaza, to change course earlier in the night.

The activist ship is carrying twelve passengers, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and Dutch captain Mark van Rennes. The ship was carrying aid supplies for Gaza.

Earlier in the night, a group of boats approached the activist ship, but they appeared to leave after a while. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he had ordered his military to prevent the Madleen from actually sailing to Gaza.

The navy demanded a change of course from the activist ship as it approached a restricted area, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said.

This looks like well planned/organized, but by whom?

The Times of Israel June 9, 2025
A city of booby traps, tunnels;

After recovering the bodies of slain hostages Gadi Haggai and Judih Weinstein in Khan Younis on Wednesday night, Israeli forces continued to push deeper into the city in the southern Gaza Strip, intensifying operations aimed at reaching its center.

The Kfir Brigade has been operating in southern Khan Younis for the past three weeks, working in close coordination with the Israeli Air Force IAF combat engineers from the elite Yahalom unit, and other forces. Their mission: to reach the city’s center and establish operational control.

Now entering its 20th month, the war has left Khan Younis in ruins — a shattered landscape almost unrecognizable from what it once was;
The Israel Defense Forces IDF last operated deep in Khan Younis with ground troops in April 2024.

The extended deployments in Gaza are not without strain. Troops typically serve two weeks inside Gaza, followed by four days out — a rotation that offers brief relief but continues to weigh heavily on soldiers and their families.


In most standing army units, including the Shimshon Battalion, phones are not allowed inside the Strip — Better than Never — limiting communication to a single weekly call, typically on Fridays before Shabbat.

To maintain a semblance of connection, certain commanders run shared WhatsApp groups with families, offering sparse but critical updates — a digital lifeline for those waiting anxiously for their loved ones at home.

The Times of Israel June 9, 2025
Day 612 The duration of the IDF’s presence in Gaza remains uncertain.

Last Sunday, the military announced plans to establish control over 75% of the territory within two months — a move that signals the intention to maintain a long-term presence aimed at dismantling Hamas’s capabilities.

Commander of the Kfir Brigade’s Shimshon Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Yud — identified only by his first Hebrew initial due to security concerns — reaffirmed the war’s primary goals: the return of the hostages and the dismantling of Hamas.

These objectives, he said, are what justify the IDF’s continued presence in Gaza.
“I know that there are still hostages, I know well what [Hamas] did on October 7 — therefore we don’t know how much longer we’ll stay [in Gaza],”

Despite the intensity of the fighting, Yud said morale among his troops remains high.

“We can see the kibbutzim across the border — we know well why we’re here,” he said, referring to nearby communities like Nir Yitzhak and Sufa, where some residents have already returned after being evacuated in the wake of Hamas’s October 7 attack.

SBS News June 9, 2025
Israeli forces intercept and board Freedom Flotilla yacht Madleen as it nears Gaza;

Israeli forces have intercepted and boarded the Freedom Flotilla yacht Madleen as it neared Gaza, with all communication from the vessel cut off shortly after. Israeli forces have boarded the Freedom Flotilla yacht, the Madleen, as it approached Gaza, with all communication with the vessel lost.

In a series of Tweets, those aboard indicated that an Israeli intervention was imminent;

Video from the scene shows the Madleen illuminated by bright lights as those aboard scrambled to throw their phones overboard, to prevent information on them falling into the hands of the Israeli military. Then moments later the yacht is boarded and all communication is lost.

Israel had warned it would take whatever measures necessary to stop the boat carrying pro-Palestinian activists and aid from reaching Gaza.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition says its vessel, which departed from Sicily, is carrying humanitarian aid and was prepared for a possible Israeli intervention.
The Israeli military says the Madleen is now being towed to Ashdod.

The Times of Israel June 9, 2025
Israel confirms it took control of Gaza-bound boat, activists to be sent home;

Israeli troops detain Gaza-bound activists, tow boat to Ashdod after bid to bust blockade;
Foreign Ministry says ‘selfie yacht’ was a provocation, passengers to be sent home

Israel publishes video showing detained activists from Madleen ‘safe and unharmed’

Israel’s Foreign Ministry publishes a video showing detained activists from a boat bound for Gaza being escorted by the Israeli Navy to the Ashdod Port.

the ministry says on X;
1. “All the passengers of the ‘selfie yacht’ are safe and unharmed.
2. They were provided with sandwiches and water.
3. The show is over,”

The Foreign Ministry posts a picture of Greta Thunberg — Small potatoes Get a real job! — in a signature frog hat, smiling as she is offered a sandwich from a soldier. Katz praises the soldiers for their swift takeover of the ship.

Footage from before soldiers boarded shows that the activists planned to make a show of not putting up resistance.

The Times of Israel June 9, 2025
The ministry says Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and the others aboard Madleen “attempted to stage a media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain publicity.” Publicity stunt

The boat was carrying “less than a single truckload of aid,” it says, noting that “more than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza from Israel within the past two weeks, and in addition, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation GHF has distributed close to 11 million meals directly to civilians in Gaza.”

Earlier, the ministry said that the boat, Madleen, was being towed to Israeli shores, that the activists would be deported, and the “tiny amount of aid” it was carrying would be sent to Gaza.

“There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip — they do not involve Instagram selfies. the ministry adds;
The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the ‘celebrities’ will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels,”

The Times of Israel June 9, 2025
Katz says detained activists to be forced to watch video of Hamas atrocities

Defense Minister Israel Katz has ordered the military to screen a video showing atrocities committed on October 7, 2023, to detained activists who had attempted to challenge Israel’s blockade on Gaza, his office says in a statement.

The harrowing 43-minute video produced by the Israel Defense Forces spokesperson’s office shows shows uncensored, difficult-to-watch footage of people being massacred and bodies mutilated during the onslaught, much of it taken from terrorists’ bodycams.

Katz says in the statement, referring to Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, the most famous of the 12 activists aboard the boat1. who is the terror group Hamas that they support and act on behalf of,
2. what atrocious acts they carried out on women, the elderly and kids,
3. and who Israel is fighting for its defense against,”

He orders that the video be screened for the group once they arrive at Ashdod, where there boat is being towed to after soldiers took control of the ship as it neared the Gaza coast overnight.

Katz praises the soldiers for their swift takeover of the ship

Israel has shown the atrocities video, titled Bearing Witness, to journalists and public figures in limited screenings around the world as part of its efforts to rally support for its war on Hamas, though its use of the footage has occasionally garnered controversy.

BBC June 9, 2025
'We've been intercepted' Greta Thunberg Drama Queen

Earlier we reported that the Freedom Flotilla Coalition has been posting video messages from each activist onboard the Madleen.
Those on board the Madleen had pre-recorded videos in the event they did not make it to Gaza. All of the videos follow a similar script.

In hers, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, external said the team had been "intercepted and kidnapped in international waters" by "forces that support Israel". "I urge all my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible,"


1. The Palestinian foreign ministry has called for "protection of the activists' safety,"
2. and a U.N. official has asked for more ships to "sail together" to bring aid to Gaza
3. terrorists Hamas says the interception of the Madleen is a "flagrant violation of international law."

Thunberg and friends, PA, U.N., Hamas Read Israel's post on X! Read Israel's post on X!

In a statement, the Palestinian armed group demands the activists on board are released, and that it holds Israel "fully responsible for their safety."
Never mind the hostages

It then goes on to call on the United Nations and other international organisations;
"to condemn this crime and take urgent action and break the siege on our people".

The Times of Israel June 9, 2025
Australian visa cancelled

Pro-Israel activist and influencer Hillel Fuld has been barred from entering Australia because his presence would constitute a risk to “the health, safety or good order” of the country, according to Australia’s Department of Home Affairs.

Fuld, a citizen of both Israel and the United States, was due to speak at events for Magen David Adom in Sydney and Melbourne to raise money for the medical organization’s new facility in Lehavim in southern Israel.

His visit was canceled due to fears he would use the platform to incite hatred “against particular segments of the community, namely the Islamic population,” according to the letter sent to him Friday by the Department of Home Affairs.

The decision has sparked outrage from Jewish communities in Australia and worldwide.

Fuld told The Times of Israel that he had received his travel visa for the trip months ago without any problems.

“But on Thursday, someone brought to my attention a post on X calling for people to contact the immigration office to get me blocked from entering the country.
Sure enough, the next morning, I got an email from them telling me I wouldn’t be allowed to come.”

The coordinated social media campaign by pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel activists called Fuld “a well-known merchant of Zionist hate speech,” saying he has;
1. “a well-documented history of spreading hate speech,
2. Islamophobia, and dangerous misinformation.”

It included detailed information on how to file a complaint with authorities.

The Times of Israel June 9, 2025
Fuld said the decision is drawing diplomatic blowback, with United States Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan, and others taking up the case.

In a letter to Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, Huckabee said Fuld “poses no threat to the people of Australia by his actions or words.”

Meanwhile, opposition leaders in Australia called on Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke to explain the cancellation.

Shadow home affairs minister Andrew Hastie said in a statement Sunday;
If there is a new political precedent in the standard for issuing entry visas to Australia, the Australian people should be informed as soon as possible,”

It’s not the first time a visa has been denied to an Israeli on political grounds, however.

Last November, former justice minister Ayelet Shaked was barred from entering Australia for similar reasons when she was slated to address a conference organized by the Australia / Israel and Jewish Affairs Council.

U.S. conservative political commentator Candace Owens was also banned from entering the country last year.

Friends of Magen David Adom attacked the ruling on Fuld’s visa. “We absolutely reject this,” it said in a statement.
Hillel has spoken to large audiences across North America, Europe and Asia with no incident.”

“The decision “is difficult to reconcile with the actual purpose of his visit, which is to speak about entrepreneurship and help raise money for emergency medical services in Israel that treat everyone, regardless of faith or background,” Zionist Federation of Australia President Jeremy Leibler added.

He said his organization was in direct contact with the government regarding the decision.
Fuld is now expected to address the fundraiser event by video conferencing instead of in person, Leibler noted.

The Times of Israel June 9, 2025
Attack on the Jewish community

The decision is a slap in the face for Australia’s 120,000-strong Jewish community, which has been among the hardest hit by antisemitism in the world since October 7, 2023.

The country experienced more than 2,000 anti-Jewish incidents between October 2023 and September 2024, more than quadruple the number from the year before Hamas’s October 7, 2023, assault that sparked the Gaza war, according to the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ).

1. Jews there have experienced synagogues, schools, and homes firebombed,
2. two nurses threatening to kill Jewish patients in their hospital,
3. and the discovery of a trailer filled with explosives said to be intended for a mass-casualty event at a Sydney synagogue.
4. racist and threatening slogans spray painted

Residents have been overwhelmingly frustrated by the failure of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his government to rein in skyrocketing antisemitism, but were mildly hopeful that, after his Labor Party’s reelection last month, he would do more to protect the Jewish community in his second term.

While the party now understands that antisemitism is a significant domestic issue, and has begun to make stronger efforts to fight it, Fuld’s snub is a sign that things are unlikely to improve shortly.