Israel's Defense Ministry Orders to Block Greta Thunberg's Ship from Entering Gaza

Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz has announced that he has instructed the military to prevent the activist mission aimed at challenging the Israeli blockade from reaching the Gaza Strip. This was reported by the Times of Israel.

The ship, named "Madleen," is organized by the Palestinian coalition "Freedom Flotilla." Among the 12 activists on board are Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Brazilian activist Tiago Avila, and Franco-Palestinian Member of the European Parliament Rima Khalaf.

"I have ordered the Israel Defense Forces to take measures to ensure that the 'Madleen' does not reach Gaza. I want to be clear to Greta and her friends: you must turn back because you will not reach Gaza," Katz's statement said.

"The State of Israel will not allow anyone to violate the maritime blockade of Gaza, primarily aimed at preventing the transfer of weapons to Hamas, a murderous terrorist organization that keeps our hostages and commits war crimes," he concluded.