Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz told the military to stop a charity boat carrying activists who are planning to defy an Israeli blockade and reach Gaza.
Operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), the British-flagged Madleen yacht set sail from Sicily on June 6 and is currently off the Egyptian coast, heading slowly towards Gaza, which is besieged by Israel.
"I instructed the IDF (army) to act so that the Madleen ... does not reach Gaza," Katz said in a statement.
"To the antisemitic Greta and her Hamas-propaganda-spouting friends, I say clearly: You'd better turn back, because you will not reach Gaza.”
"The State of Israel will not allow anyone to break the naval blockade on Gaza, whose primary purpose is to prevent the transfer of weapons to Hamas," he said.
Earlier Channel 12 has reported the Israeli navy is preparing to intercept the aid vessel “Madleen” that is approaching Gaza and tow it to Ashdod port in central Israel.
The military aims to halt the ship before it enters Gaza’s territorial waters, citing its enforcement of the naval blockade, the news channel reported.
The activists on board will be handed over to Israeli authorities for deportation, Channel 12 also reported.
The aid ship "Madleen" has entered Egyptian waters on its way to Gaza, despite Israel's stated intention to prevent it from docking, the International Committee for Breaking the Siege on Gaza announced on Sunday.
The committee, one of the aid flotilla organisers, said in a statement that the ship has passed through Alexandria, northern Egypt, and will "in hours reach Mansoura city... en route to Gaza."
"The coming hours will be most critical," the statement read.
Urgently needed supplies
Last week, Israeli state broadcaster KAN reported that Tel Aviv had reversed its initial decision to allow the ship to pass. The approval was withdrawn under the pretext of "setting a precedent" for future humanitarian aid missions.
The ship is carrying urgently needed supplies for the people of Gaza, including baby formula, flour, rice, diapers, women’s sanitary products, water desalination kits, medical supplies, crutches, and children’s prosthetics, according to its organisers.
Another ship operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the Conscience, was targeted by drones off the coast of Malta on May 2.
Israel, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a devastating invasion in Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 54,800 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among the enclave's more than two million inhabitants.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.
