Greta Thunberg: Video shows arrest from the activist at sea

The minutes before Israeli soldiers enter the Gaza solidarity ship of Greta Thunberg are chaotic: Thunberg and eleven other activists sit in the interior of the sailing ship “Madleen” and hold their hands up. In a video of a surveillance camera published by the Freeedom Flotilla Coalition alliance, loud beeps can be heard and people on board are apparently asked to throw their cell phones into the water. The activists calm each other.

The ship stuck sail from Sicily about a week ago. The Swede Thunberg and the other activists-including Yasemin Acar from Germany as well as the French EU parliamentarian and Hamas supporter Rima Hassan-wanted to bring relief goods such as baby food and medical goods to the Gaza Strip. At the same time, they wanted to focus on international attention in the densely populated area with two million inhabitants with the campaign.

After day -to -day ride through the eastern Mediterranean, however, it ended in the early Monday morning: The Israeli army stopped the “Madleen” shortly before their goal, the activists were asked to return to their home countries. Several home countries offered consular support for their citizens. So also Germany.

After the campaign in international waters, the Foreign Ministry announced that all passengers of the ship were safe and intact. They were supplied with water and sandwiches. “The show is over,” it said in an X-Post. In another post on the platform, the ministry shared a photo of Thunberg as it smiles while a soldier handed her a sandwich.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition spoke of a “blatant violation of international law”. “The ship was unlawful, its unarmed civil occupation kidnapped and its life -saving load […] Seiled, “said in a message. According to the alliance, the ship was stopped 200 kilometers off the coast of the Gaza Strip in international waters.

Several hours after stopping on the high seas, the “Madleen” should be towed to the port of the Israeli city of Aschdod. Demonstrators gathered at the port of the South Israeli city to receive the activists. According to Defense Minister Israel Katz, the activists should show video recordings of the atrocities of the Islamist Hamas on October 7, 2023. In a sharply formulated message, he described Thunberg as “anti-Semitin” and the activists as “their friends-the Hamas supporters”.

As several Israeli media reported, the twelve activists are to be brought to Ben Gurion’s International Airport at Tel Aviv. From there they should then be flown to their respective home countries. On board the “Madleen” were people from Germany, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Turkey and Brazil. It was unclear when the activists would be left again. A government spokesman said: “You will be attributed to your home countries within a very short time. We do not have the desire to capture these people.”