If you see this, we’ve been kidnapped: Thunberg’s SOS video before Israel seizes Gaza-bound ship
Gaza/Tel Aviv: Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg appeared in a pre-recorded video shared by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), moments before Israeli forces seized their British-flagged aid ship Madleen, which was en route to Gaza. The video served as a distress message to the global community, in which Thunberg stated that she and her fellow passengers had been “kidnapped in international waters.”
“My name is Greta Thunberg and I am from Sweden. If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces, or forces that support Israel,” she said in the video. “I urge all my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible.”
The Madleen, carrying a 12-member crew including Thunberg and French Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan, was part of an initiative by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition to deliver a symbolic consignment of humanitarian aid, comprising rice and baby formula, to Gaza and raise awareness about the worsening humanitarian crisis in the region.
The FFC said Israeli forces intercepted the ship in the early hours of Sunday and escorted it to an Israeli port. A photo posted by Rima Hassan on social media showed the crew seated on the deck with life jackets, hands raised.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry later confirmed the vessel’s capture, referring to it as a “selfie yacht” and claiming the mission was a “propaganda effort in support of Hamas.” A statement read, “All the passengers of the ‘selfie yacht’ are safe and unharmed. They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over.”
Israel Defence Minister Yoav Gallant had earlier ordered that the Madleen be stopped, describing it as a political provocation. The Israeli government has justified the ongoing naval blockade of Gaza, in place since 2007, as necessary to prevent arms supplies from reaching Hamas.
Since the beginning of Israel’s military operations in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack, over 54,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The United Nations has warned that more than 2 million residents in Gaza are now facing the threat of famine.
Despite the Israeli government's dismissal of the aid mission, the FFC maintains that the goal of the voyage was peaceful and aimed at drawing global attention to the dire conditions in Gaza. The coalition called on international governments to intervene and secure the release of all detained activists.
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Iran''''s Mexico Embassy says Iran is negotiating with FIFA to move World Cup matches
Mexico City (AP): Iran's Embassy in Mexico on Tuesday said the country is negotiating with FIFA to move Iran's World Cup matches from the U.S. to Mexico after President Donald Trump discouraged the team from attending the tournament, citing safety concerns.
It was unclear whether such talks are happening with FIFA, which did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Iranian officials have previously said it is up to FIFA and the U.S. to keep the team safe during the World Cup.
The Embassy posted a statement attributed to Iranian soccer federation president Mehdi Taj saying Iran wants to move its group stage matches to Mexico to ensure the safety of players and officials.
“When Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America,” the statement said. “We are currently negotiating with FIFA to hold Iran's matches in the World Cup in Mexico.”
The World Cup is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Iran is scheduled to play against New Zealand on June 16 and Belgium on June 21 in Inglewood, California, before finishing group play in Seattle against Egypt on June 26.
Moving the games would be unprecedented less than three months before the start of the World Cup.
Trump said last week that the Iran team was welcome at the World Cup despite the ongoing war in the Middle East but “I really don't believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety.”
Iran has sent mixed signals about its participation in the tournament after the U.S. and Israel launched attacks that killed the Islamic republic's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of other senior figures.
Sports minister Ahmad Donyamali told state TV last week that it was not possible to play "due to the wicked acts they have done against Iran.”
But after Trump's post the national team said on Instagram that “no one can exclude” it from the tournament and a government spokesman in Tehran stressed in it was the responsibility of FIFA and the U.S. as a co-host nation to keep players safe and secure.
“FIFA is the organizer of the World Cup,” Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said. “When warnings are issued at the highest level about the environment being unsafe for Iranian football players, this indicates that the host country apparently lacks the capacity and ability to provide security for such an important sporting event.”
Soccer is followed passionately in Iran, a nation of more than 90 million people which has qualified for seven men's World Cups and each of the past four editions. The team is ranked No. 20 in the world by FIFA and behind only Japan from Asia.
FIFA has not commented in recent days beyond an Instagram post by president Gianni Infantino last week that he'd received assurances from Trump that Iran was welcome at the tournament.
