A boat carrying 12 aid workers, including Greta Thunberg, has been intercepted by Israel on its way to deliver aid to Gaza, according to reports.
A pre-recorded video has been shared by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition featuring Thunberg, 22, warning that if the footage has been released, she and the others aboard the Madleen have been "kidnapped".
In it, she says: "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.
"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."
See the footage below:According to reports from the BBC, Israeli forces boarded the Madleen yacht, which had been bound for the Gaza Strip, on Sunday as it attempted to bring humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition also shared an image of those aboard the Madleen, which was reported to be off the Egyptian coast, wearing life jackets with their hands in the air.
It wrote on Telegram: "SOS! The volunteers on Madleen have been kidnapped by Israeli forces."
Israel's foreign ministry stated that the yacht is now "safely making its way to the shores of Israel" and its passengers are "expected to return to their home countries".
The Madleen had set sail from Sicily on June 6, heading for Gaza with supplies including 100kg of flour and baby formula.
Aboard were 12 people - Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, French member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan, Omar Faiad - a French journalist with Al Jazeera, as well as Yasemin Acar, Baptiste Andre, Thiago Avila, Pascal Maurieras, Yanis Mhamdi, Suayb Ordu, Sergio Toribio, Mark van Rennes, and Reva Viard.
Israel recently began allowing limited aid into Gaza following a three-month land blockade, prioritizing distribution through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is backed by Israel and the US but widely condemned by humanitarian groups.
The GHF distributes aid from hubs which are protected by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and security contractors, according to reports from the BBC.
The move has been welcomed but labeled a "drop in the ocean" by the UN and some countries.
When Israel cleared nine aid trucks to enter Gaza last month, the UN's humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, said: "Significantly more aid must be allowed into Gaza."
The UN's special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, added on a post on X (formerly Twitter): "While Madleen must be released immediately, every Mediterranean port should send boats with aid, solidarity, and humanity to Gaza. They shall sail together - united, they will be unstoppable."
She also urged the UK government to "urgently seek full clarification" and "secure the immediate release of the vessel and its crew".
The Israel foreign ministry - who dubbed the Madleen as a "selfie yacht" full of "celebrities" - has shared posts showing the crew on board being handed sandwiches and drinks before being taken to Israel ahead of their return to their home countries.
It posted: "The 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities' is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries.
"While Greta and others attempted to stage a media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain publicity — and which included less than a single truckload of aid — more than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza from Israel within the past two weeks, and in addition, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has distributed close to 11 million meals directly to civilians in Gaza.
"There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip — they do not involve Instagram selfies.
"The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the 'celebrities' will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels."
The United Nations has repeatedly warned of famine, malnutrition, and disease in Gaza, and Thunberg has been a vocal activist to raise awareness of the issue, particularly among young people.
A UN-backed assessment earlier this month stated that over two million people in Gaza were at risk of starvation.
Thunberg has been arrested several times in the past for her protests against climate change around the world.
While Israel has begun allowing aid into Gaza following a three-month land blockade, the GHF has been surrounded by controversy following several deadly incidents during its first week of operation.
Dozens of Palestinians have died and hundreds more were injured trying to get to the distribution center, with six killed by Israeli gunfire according to the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency, per the BBC.
The operations have also had to be paused numerous times to deal with overcrowding and safety concerns.
The interception of the Madleen also comes a month after another boat run by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition - the Conscience - ended up on fire off the coast of Malta while on its way to deliver aid to Gaza.
Activists claimed the ship had been struck by Israeli drones in international waters on May 2. Israel responded that it was looking into the incident.