Sweden gets in touch with Israel after kidnapping twelve activists
(MENAFN) On Monday, Sweden confirmed it is in contact with Israeli authorities following the interception of the Gaza-bound aid ship Madleen in international waters and the kidnapping of activists aboard, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.
Responding to an Anadolu inquiry, the Swedish Foreign Ministry’s press office said the ministry and relevant diplomatic missions are “aware of the situation and are monitoring developments.” They added that the Swedish Foreign Ministry and Embassy in Tel Aviv “are in contact with local authorities and are monitoring the developments closely.”
The British-flagged Madleen was intercepted and boarded by Israeli forces early Monday before being towed to an Israeli dock. The press office assured, "should a need for consular support arise, the embassy and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will assess how we can best assist the Swedish national."
The mission involved 12 individuals, including 11 activists and one journalist. Besides Thunberg, those detained include Yasemin Acar (Germany); Baptiste Andre, Pascal Maurieras, Yanis Mhamdi, and Reva Viard (France); Thiago Avila (Brazil); Suayb Ordu (Türkiye); Sergio Toribio (Spain); Marco van Rennes (Netherlands); Omar Faiad, a journalist with Al Jazeera Mubasher (France); and French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan.
The Madleen was sent by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition from Sicily, Italy, to break the blockade on Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid. The ship carries urgently needed supplies such as baby formula, flour, rice, diapers, women’s sanitary products, water desalination kits, medical supplies, crutches, and prosthetics for children.
Since early March, Israel has closed all Gaza border crossings to humanitarian aid, prompting warnings from aid agencies about the risk of famine among Gaza’s 2.4 million residents.
The incident comes amid ongoing legal challenges against Israel, including arrest warrants issued last November by the International Criminal Court for Israeli officials on war crimes charges related to Gaza, and a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over alleged war crimes against civilians.
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