Israel to deport activists after Gaza aid ship blocked

Greta Thunberg and other activists who attempted to deliver aid to Gaza by sea are set to be deported from Israel after their sailboat was intercepted by the military.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry announced on X that the passengers of the sailboat have arrived at Ben Gurion Airport to leave Israel and return to their home countries.

They were expected to leave the country "within the next few hours," the ministry said.

"Those who refuse to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial authority, in accordance with Israeli law, to authorise their deportation," the ministry wrote.

It added that consuls from the passengers' home countries met them at the airport.

The Madleen, from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), set sail from Sicily one week ago carrying aid for Palestinians and hoping to add pressure on Israel to end the war in Gaza.

However, they were intercepted by Israeli forces early on Monday after an order from Defence Minister Israel Katz.

The coalition said in a statement on Monday the Madleen was forcibly intercepted by the Israeli military in international waters, its crew detained and aid cargo seized.

Israel's Foreign Ministry dismissed the mission as a "provocation" and referred to the Madleen as a "selfie yacht."

Earlier, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said on X the activists were "currently undergoing medical examinations to ensure they are in good health".

It also published a photo of Thunberg after she disembarked.

They were then to be offered the 'opportunity' to watch a video of the atrocities committed by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, before being returned to their home countries.

In a statement earlier on Monday, the activists said the Madleen had "been attacked/forcibly intercepted by the Israeli military" in international waters.

"The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo - including baby formula, food and medical supplies - confiscated," the FFC said in a statement.

Organiser Huwaida Arraf said Israel had no legal authority to detain those aboard the ship.

"These volunteers are not subject to Israeli jurisdiction and cannot be criminalised for delivering aid or challenging an illegal blockade - their detention is arbitrary, unlawful and must end immediately," Arraf said.

"We are undeterred. We will sail again. We will not stop until the siege ends and Palestine is free," the FFC said.

Progressive Israeli activists protested in Ashdod against the military's deployment, holding up signs calling for the government to "end the blockade, the hunger, the genocide".

Meanwhile Israeli forces and allied local gunmen are accused of killing 14 people seeking food aid in the Gaza Strip.

It was the latest in a series of shootings that have killed at least 127 people and wounded hundreds since the rollout of a new food distribution system last month, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

Israel and the United States say the new system is designed to circumvent Hamas, but it has been rejected by the UN and major aid groups.Gaza's roughly 2 million Palestinians almost completely rely on international aid because nearly all food production capabilities have been destroyed.