UPDATE - Gaza-bound aid flotilla with 12 activists on board nears Gaza coast despite Israeli warning

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS, CHANGES DECK

By Ahmed Asmar

The aid ship "Madleen" has entered Egyptian waters on its way to Gaza, despite Israeli warnings to prevent it from docking, the International Committee for Breaking the Siege on Gaza announced Sunday.

The committee, one of the aid flotilla organizers, 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.

Shortly, the committee also issued a statement warning that Israel is trying to block the ship's location and signal. "It seems Israel is jamming our colleagues' location and signal on the Madleen (vessel)."

"This is serious... We'll keep you posted," the statement added.

Yasemin Acar, an activist on board the Madleen flotilla, also confirmed that "the communication blackout has officially begun."

"If you don't hear from us in the coming hours, it means we have been cut off from the world... Remember we are doing this for Gaza," she also said.

The ship also has 12 activists on board, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and Irish actor Liam Cunningham.

Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is also on board the vessel, posted a live photo update on her X account.

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 The approval was withdrawn under the pretext of "setting a precedent" for future humanitarian aid missions.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 organizers.

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 offensive 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 2 million inhabitants.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense 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.