Turkish activist on Gaza aid ship says to maintain peaceful stance amid Israeli threats
GAZA CITY
An activist from Türkiye on board the Madleen vessel, which aims to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, warned Sunday that he will not resist any potential Israeli intervention and will maintain a peaceful stance.
"If any harm comes to me, if they kill me, and they cannot prove it with visual evidence, let it be known that I took no action. Even if they point a gun to my head and shoot, I will not raise a hand. I won’t say a word, I won’t even look them in the eye. We are moving forward peacefully, and I have the utmost respect for my friends on board and their safety," Suayb Ordu said on his Instagram account in a video, addressing media reports suggesting that Israel is preparing to intervene against the Madleen.
Referring to reports that "the Israeli army plans to raid the vessel, deport the activists on board and open fire if there is resistance," Ordu said the Israeli army might choose someone on the boat as a “scapegoat” to justify any potential aggression.
“As a Turk, I am a potential scapegoat,” he said.
“At this point, I challenge Israel—if they have the courage—to come aboard with cameras and record the raid. Let them share it with the world," he added.
“If they come to raid this boat, we will put on our life jackets, sit down with our hands empty and wait. We will not take any provocative action. We will not react in any way. If they harm any of us despite this, know that they are lying.”
“I want the whole world to hear this: I will not show any resistance—not even in my facial expression—no matter what they do. If any harm comes to one of us, they are completely lying. That is called murder," he added.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition said the Israeli soldiers "kidnapped" the activists onboard late Sunday.
“SOS! the volunteers on 'Madleen' have been kidnapped by Israeli forces,” the international NGO, which organized the mission, said on Telegram.
At around 3:02 am CET (0102 GMT), Israeli forces "forcibly intercepted" the vessel in international waters as it was approaching Gaza, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said in a statement.
"If you see this video we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters," Thunberg said in a pre-recorded video shared by the coalition.
The Palestinian group Hamas condemned the diversion, saying in a statement the boat was being taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod.
The Israeli government had vowed to prevent the "unauthorized" ship from breaching the naval blockade of Gaza, urging it to turn back.
On Sunday, Defense Minister Israel Katz said the blockade, in place since years before the Israel-Hamas war, was needed to prevent Palestinian militants from importing weapons.
After diverting the boat, Israel's foreign ministry posted a picture of the activists all in orange life jackets being offered water and sandwiches.
A total of 12 people are on board the Madleen, including 11 activists and one journalist. Among them are Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. French-Palestinian Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan, Yasemin Acar from Germany, Baptiste Andre, Pascal Maurieras, Yanis Mhamdi and Reva Viard from France, Thiago Avila from Brazil, Suayb Ordu from Türkiye, Sergio Toribio from Spain, Marco van Rennes from the Netherlands and Omar Faiad, a journalist with Al Jazeera Mubasher, also from France.
As part of the latest mission organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a civil society initiative aiming to break the Israeli blockade on Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid, the 18-meter-long Madleen departed from Porto di San Giovanni li Cuti in Catania, Italy on June 1.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz had previously threatened the Freedom Flotilla, announcing that he instructed the Israeli military to “do whatever is necessary” to prevent the Madleen from reaching the shores of Gaza.
Israeli military spokesperson Effie Defrin also said in a press briefing that preparations were underway to take action against the aid boat headed for famine-stricken Palestinians in Gaza under Israeli bombardment.
The Conscience ship, organized by the Freedom Flotilla Foundation (FFF)—an initiative formed by campaigns and movements from around the world aiming to end Israel’s attacks on Gaza and kept secret due to potential threats—was attacked by unmanned aerial vehicles off the coast of Malta on May 2.
