Greta Thunberg says she’s been 'kidnapped' by Israel while trying to reach Gaza

Greta Thunberg has been 'intercepted and kidnapped' by Israeli forces who took control of a vessel carrying the Swedish activist.

The Madleen - a British-flagged yacht operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) - was travelling to Gaza to deliver aid when the boat and it's 12 man crew, including 22-year-old Thunberg, was apprehended.

The ship had attempted to challenge Israel's naval blockage of the area, with the mission attempting to raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Middle East.

Following their interception on the early hours of Monday morning (9 Jun) before the vessel could reach Gaza, the crew were subsequently transported to a port in Israel.

The crew were transported to a port in Israel (FFC)

In a new clip circulating social media, the prominent climate change activist could be heard telling viewers: "My name is Greta Thunberg and I am from Sweden.

"If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces - or 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."

The Israeli foreign ministry have since confirmed the interception of the boat.

In a statement of their own, a spokesperson for the ministry told press: "All the passengers of the 'selfie yacht' are safe and unharmed.

"They were provided sandwiches and water."

Sharing a video of such amenities being handed out to the crew, the accompanying caption on the ministry's Instagram page reads: "The show is over."

A video of Thunberg's plea has been circling on social media (FFC)

The organisers of the mission, the FFC, have since accused Israel of 'forcibly intercepting' the ship, and acting with 'total impunity.'

In a further statement said online, the coalition claims the Madleen was 'unlawfully boarded', and its 'civilian crew abducted.'

The FFC added that its 'life saving cargo' - which included 'baby formula, food and medical supplies' - was 'confiscated.'

"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," said FFC organiser Huwaida Arraf.

"Israel has no legal authority to detain international volunteers aboard the Madleen."

Alongside Thunberg to have been apprehended is French member of the European parliament, Rima Hassan.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter) since their interception, Hassam shared an image of the crew during the interception, where they could be seen in life jackets and holding their arms up in the air.

Gaza residents have been prevented receiving food for several months (Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images)

She added in response to Israel's statement: "The crew of the Freedom Flotilla was arrested by the Israeli army in international waters around 2am. 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."

Israel's naval blockage of Gaza has been in place since Hamas took control of the area in 2007, and has remained in place throughout the duration of several Middle Eastern conflicts.

The ongoing crisis in Gaza took a turn on 7 October 2023, when Hamas led an attack on Israel and - according to an Israeli tally - killed over 1,200 residents. Since then, over 54,000 Palestinians living in Gaza are said to have been killed by Israel's military. However, the conflict did not begin in October and has been ongoing for over 70 years. On top of this, the United Nations believe that over 2 million further residents are facing famine.

Israel claim this starving of Palestinian people is necessary to prevent dangerous weapons being transported to Hamas hiding in the area.