Thunberg Deported by Israeli Forces While Delivering Aid
Over 1,000 Activists Join the Sumoud Convoy
Environmental activist Greta Thunberg, who was transporting aid supplies to the Gaza Strip, was detained by the Israeli navy and subsequently deported. Of the 12 activists on board the vessel, Greta Thunberg and several others were deported on June 10, while the remaining activists who did not consent to deportation are still being held in detention. Thunberg strongly protested, stating that "Israel kidnapped me in international waters," while Israel disparaged the boat she was on as a "selfie yacht." As Thunberg was deported, hundreds of activists supporting Palestine have declared their intention to break through the Israeli military blockade of the Gaza Strip.
On the 11th (local time), Yonhap News Agency, citing AFP, reported that hundreds of activists supporting Palestine resisted the Israeli military blockade of the Gaza Strip and that the 'Samoud' convoy departed on the 9th from Tunisia, a North African Mediterranean coastal country. AFP/Yonhap News Agency
On June 11 (local time), Yonhap News Agency, citing AFP, reported that hundreds of activists supporting Palestine resisted the Israeli military blockade of the Gaza Strip and that the 'Sumoud' convoy departed on June 9 from Tunisia, a North African Mediterranean coastal country. 'Sumoud,' which means steadfastness in Arabic, represents the determination of Palestinian residents to defend their land against Israeli 'occupation.' According to AFP, the Sumoud convoy crossed the Libyan border the previous day and arrived in Tripoli, the capital of Libya, on the same day.
Those accompanying the Sumood convoy are mostly activists from Tunisia, Algeria, and other nationalities, with more expected to join from Libya. Photo by AFP and Yonhap News
The activists plan to enter the Gaza Strip by passing through Egypt and then crossing the Rafah border checkpoint in the southern part of Gaza, which is controlled by Israel. The organizers emphasized that the purpose of this action is not to deliver aid supplies, but rather to symbolically break the blockade of Gaza. According to the organizers, more than 1,000 people, over 10 buses, and about 100 other vehicles are participating in the Sumoud convoy. Most of those joining the convoy are activists from Tunisia, Algeria, and other nationalities, with more expected to join from Libya. However, unlike Libya, Egypt has not yet granted passage to the Sumoud convoy, making it uncertain how far their journey will proceed.
On the same day, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz referred to the Sumoud convoy as a "jihadist demonstration" in a statement and urged Egyptian authorities to prevent the convoy from reaching the Israeli border, according to The Times of Israel. Minister Katz asserted that "their provocation or attempts to enter the Gaza Strip must not be allowed," claiming that "this would threaten the safety of Israeli soldiers."
Meanwhile, as the Israeli military continued its operations in the Gaza Strip to eliminate the Palestinian armed group Hamas, controversy persisted over the distribution centers operated by the US relief organization Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Hamas claimed that on the morning of June 11 (local time), Israeli forces opened fire on residents gathered near a distribution center in the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza, resulting in dozens of deaths. Reuters, citing local medical staff, reported that at least 25 people were killed at the distribution center near the Netzarim Corridor, and at least 14 more died while approaching another GHF distribution center in southern Gaza. Notably, the Gaza Health Ministry, governed by Hamas, reported that since the outbreak of war on October 7, 2023, a total of 55,104 Palestinian residents have been killed and 127,394 have been injured to date.
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