Defense Minister Israel Katz directed the IDF on Sunday not to allow  Greta Thunberg's flotilla to reach the shores of Gaza and to take any measures necessary to ensure that.

"I have instructed the IDF to act so that the 'Madleen' flotilla does not reach Gaza. To Greta the antisemite and her friends, I say clearly: you'd better turn back – because you will not reach Gaza," Katz said in a statement.

Israel is expected to intercept the flotilla, which is en route to Israel and scheduled to reach the Gaza coast in the next 48 hours (per estimates), a source told The Jerusalem Post.

After the Defense Minister officially announced that the IDF would not allow the flotilla to reach the Gaza Strip, El Mayadeen reported that contact had been lost with the ship. The flotilla was last located in Egyptian territorial waters. 

The flotilla includes citizens with French and Swedish citizenship and a diplomat.

The group is carrying supplies for Gazan Palestinians and protesting what they say is “Israel’s “illegal, decades-long blockade, and ongoing genocide” in the enclave.

Defense Minister Israel Katz sits with IDF Chief of Staff. Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir and other top IDF officials, June 8, 2025. (credit: DEFENSE MINISTRY)
Defense Minister Israel Katz sits with IDF Chief of Staff. Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir and other top IDF officials, June 8, 2025. (credit: DEFENSE MINISTRY)
Their voyage is operated by the pro-Palestinian nonprofit Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which has staged other naval efforts to reach Gaza by sea over the last 15 years. The latest trip, which departed from Sicily and detoured to pick up Sudanese refugees, comes as the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza turns 20 months old and includes Thunberg, one of the most prominent progressive activists in the world.

Why have the activists undertaken their voyage, and what are people saying about them?

The trip comes amid widespread criticism of Israel’s handling of aid to Gaza, where 2 million Palestinians live and where Israel has been fighting Hamas, the governing authority, since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked southern Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered “basic aid” to enter Gaza last month amid growing concerns about starvation following Israel’s months-long aid blockade. Since Netanyahu’s announcement, aid distribution in Gaza has faced multiple setbacks.

According to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the Madleen is carrying baby formula, flour, rice, diapers, women’s sanitary products, water desalination kits, medical supplies, crutches, and children’s prosthetics.

London has so far rejected requests by Israel to deter the Madleen, which is flying under a UK flag, from approaching Israeli waters, according to the Times of Israel. Last month, the leaders of France and the United Kingdom issued statements condemning Israel’s blockade on aid to Gaza. They continued the offensive and vowed to take “concrete actions” if they continue.

Grace Gilson/JTA contributed to this report.