Israeli forces seize Gaza aid ship with Greta Thunberg on board

Israeli naval forces boarded and seized a charity vessel carrying Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, which had tried to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip on June 9.

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CAIRO - Israeli naval forces boarded and seized a charity vessel carrying Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, which had tried to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip on June 9.

The British-flagged yacht Madleen, operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), had aimed to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza on June 9 to raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis there.

"If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by Israeli occupational forces or forces that support Israel," Ms Thunberg, 22, said in a video released by the FCC, filmed before the vessel was captured.

"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 Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed that the vessel was under Israeli control. Israel has called Ms Thunberg an "anti-Semite" and dismissed the aid ship as a stunt.