Overview

• The Madleen left Sicily on June 1 with a 12-member crew—including Greta Thunberg and Yasemin Acar—carrying baby food, medical supplies and other humanitarian aid for Gaza.
• Kan 11 reported that Israel’s security authorities have prohibited the vessel from approaching Gaza to avoid establishing a precedent for blockade-breaking missions.
• Defense Minister Israel Katz and senior military officials are set to meet Thursday to decide whether to escort the ship into Ashdod port and detain its activists.
• The IDF has declared readiness to enforce the maritime blockade and intercept the Madleen if it attempts to breach the Gaza coast.
• Thunberg’s outspoken pro-Palestinian stance and past accusations of genocide against Israel have drawn criticism, including German antisemitism commissioner Felix Klein’s charge of antisemiticism.