ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkey on Monday condemned Israel’s interception of a Gaza-bound aid vessel carrying popular climate activist Greta Thunberg in international waters, calling the move a violation of international law and a threat to maritime security.
“The intervention by Israeli forces on the ship Madleen, which set out to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza… while sailing in international waters, is a clear violation of international law,” the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement.
It described the incident as a “heinous attack” and accused Israel of threatening the freedom of navigation.
Israeli forces boarded the British-flagged yacht operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition early Monday, detaining several activists, including Thunberg. The vessel, which had departed from Sicily on June 1, was attempting to challenge Israel’s naval blockade on Gaza and deliver symbolic humanitarian aid.
Israel’s foreign ministry confirmed the operation and said its passengers would be deported.
Turkey said its nationals were among the 12 people on board, though it did not identify them. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition said the passengers came from seven countries, including Turkey’s Suayb Ordu, and that Israeli forces “kidnapped” them after the boat was intercepted near Gaza.
The Israeli foreign ministry on Monday said in a statement that “the ‘selfie yacht’ is safely making its way to the shores of Israel” and that the passengers are “expected to return to their home countries.”
“The tiny amount of aid that wasn’t consumed by the ‘celebrities’ will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels,” the statement further read, adding that “more than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza from Israel within the past two weeks.”
Meanwhile, Gaza’s 2.1 million population is facing “prolonged food shortages, with nearly half a million people in a catastrophic situation of hunger, acute malnutrition, starvation, illness and death,” according to the World Health Organization.
Turkey’s statement comes as part of a broader war of words that has been ongoing for months between Turkish and Israeli officials.
The two countries had severed diplomatic ties in November, when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel of prolonging the war in Gaza.
Tensions escalated following a December 8 offensive by a coalition of Syrian opposition groups led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, which sought to topple the government of President Bashar al-Assad. Turkey, a longtime backer of anti-Assad forces, aligned itself with the new opposition-led authorities in Damascus. Israel, however, views the emerging leadership as a threat, placing the two regional powers at odds.
Despite the friction, Turkish and Israeli officials resumed diplomatic talks in April.
Israeli military operations in Gaza have led to widespread destruction and displacement. The enclave’s health ministry says more than 54,880 people have been killed since the war began in Gaza in October 2023.
