Israel's defence minister has ordered the Israeli military to block an aid boat headed for Gaza with 12 activists on board, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg.
"I have instructed the military to prevent the Madleen flotilla from reaching Gaza," Israel Katz said in a statement from his office.
The organisers of the Madleen's voyage said yesterday they had reached Egyptian waters and were nearing Gaza, where the war between Israel and Hamas has entered its 21st month.
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A live tracker of the boat's location indicated its position off the Egyptian coast.
Responding to the Israeli order to block the boat, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which operates the Madleen, said it will "not be intimidated", adding that it expects interception and an attack from Israel "at any moment".
The group said the Israeli defence minister threatened unlawful force against civilians and is "attempting to justify violence with baseless smears".
Israel's Defense Minister has once again threatened unlawful force against civilians, attempting to justify violence with baseless smears. We will not be intimidated.
— Freedom Flotilla Coalition (@GazaFFlotilla) June 8, 2025
The 'Madleen' is a peaceful civilian vessel, unarmed and sailing in international waters with humanitarian aid… pic.twitter.com/vZ1eTA83gt
"We are currently about 160 nautical miles from Gaza. Earlier signal jamming briefly disrupted our location, but our tracker is functioning again. We remain calm and prepared in the face of possible Israeli aggression."
The group called on world governments to demand Israel stand down.
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris said on X, formerly Twitter, that any use of force against the Madleen "would constitute a breach of international law".
Mr Harris also said that "the international community must be clear on this".
He added: "It is an unarmed, civilian effort to do good in the midst of devastation and catastrophic humanitarian conditions.
"The Madleen is an incredible effort to get food and medicine to the starving people of Gaza. "
French MEP Rima Hassan, who is on board the Madleen, said the group has 24 hours left before they are "illegally detained by Israeli authorities" who want to prevent them from reaching Gaza.
"When we are no longer able to communicate with you, I'm counting on you to continue the mobilization that has been so valuable to us throughout this journey," Ms Hassan said in a post on X.
Read more: 'We do not fear them' - flotilla activists in bid to reach Gaza
The Madleen left Italy on 1 June with the stated aim of delivering humanitarian aid and breaking the Israeli blockade on the Palestinian territory.
The launch of the Madleen was attended by a number of Irish people who showed their support for the mission, including activist Caoimhe Butterly, actor Liam Cunningham and Senator Lynn Ruane.
The FFC describes itself as a "grassroots people-to-people solidarity movement composed of campaigns and initiatives to end the blockade of Gaza".
It has been organising flotillas since 2010 with the aim of breaking the Israeli maritime blockade on Gaza.
The FFC has emphasised that all volunteers and crew on board the Madleen are trained in non-violence and are sailing "unarmed in a peaceful act of civil resistance against Israel's actions in Gaza".
Last month, another vessel operated by the group, the Conscience, caught fire before it was due to set sail for Gaza.
The ship had been en route to Malta to collect a large contingent of activists, including Greta Thunberg, when the incident occurred in the early hours of 2 May.
According to the FFC, the fire was caused by an Israeli-operated drone.
The Israeli defence minister said Israel will not allow anyone to break the naval blockade of Gaza, adding that it will "act against any attempt to break the blockade or support terror groups - by sea, air or land".
