Israel issues threats against Freedom Flotilla ship

The Israeli military spokesperson threatened that the occupying army is ready, as it was previously, to intercept the Freedom Flotilla ship heading toward Gaza. 

In its second attempt to break the Gaza blockade, despite Israel’s threats, the Freedom Flotilla launched the Madeleine on Sunday from the port of Catania in southern Italy, carrying several activists from European countries, including Rim Hassan, a French-Palestinian member of the European Parliament, Greta Thunberg, a prominent Swedish activist, and Liam Cunningham, an Irish actor. 

The Daily Telegraph reported that the symbolic goal of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla is to draw global attention to the crimes and hardships inflicted by the Israeli regime on Palestinians during over a year and a half of war against the Gaza Strip. 

The Freedom Flotilla is a coalition of groups seeking to challenge the Gaza blockade, which has intensified since the resumption of attacks on the Gaza Strip following a short-lived ceasefire that did not last. 

In early May, the first Freedom Flotilla ship en route to Gaza waters was targeted by an Israeli drone attack off the coast of Malta, resulting in a fire, damage to the ship’s hull, and the vessel beginning to sink. 

Now, the occupying army has issued a statement declaring its readiness to confront the Madeleine, with its naval unit prepared for such an operation. 

In a brief statement, the Israeli military announced: “We are enforcing a maritime security blockade on Gaza and are prepared to execute a range of scenarios.”