Israel’s defense minister has vowed to prevent an aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists from reaching the Gaza Strip.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said Sunday that Israel wouldn’t allow anyone to break its naval blockade of the Palestinian territory, which he said was aimed at preventing Hamas from importing arms.

Ms Thunberg, 22, is among 12 activists aboard the Madleen, which is operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.

The vessel departed Sicily last Sunday on a mission that aims to break the sea blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid, while raising awareness over the growing humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave.

The activists had said they planned to reach Gaza’s territorial waters as early as Sunday.

Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent, is among the others onboard. She has been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies toward the Palestinians.

Named after Gaza’s only female fisher, the vessel is carrying climate activist Greta Thunberg and French-Palestinian Member of European Parliament Rima Hassan, among others.

Ms Thunberg shot to fame in 2018 when she decided to skip school as a 15-year-old in an attempt to persuade the Swedish parliament to take more action on climate change.

Speaking aboard the Madleen, Ms Thunberg told Middle East Eye: “We have promised ourselves and we have promised the Palestinian people to do everything we can.

“When our governments are failing us … then it falls on us to step up and be the adults in the room.

“We are just human beings, very concerned about what’s happening, and do not accept what is going on.”

After a three-month total blockade aimed at pressuring Hamas, Israel started allowing some basic aid into Gaza last month, but humanitarian workers have warned of famine unless the blockade and the war end.

An attempt last month by Freedom Flotilla to reach Gaza by sea failed after another of the group’s vessels was attacked by two drones while sailing in international waters off Malta. The group blamed Israel for the attack, which damaged the front section of the ship.

The decades-long conflict in Gaza intensified when Hamas undertook a large-scale attack in southern Israel on 7 October 2023, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 individuals, predominantly civilians, and the capture of 251 hostages.

Currently, 55 hostages remain captive, with less than half believed to be alive, following releases through ceasefire agreements and other arrangements. In the course of the war, Israel has recovered numerous bodies, including three recently, and successfully rescued eight living hostages.

During this time, Israel’s military actions have led to the deaths of over 54,000 Palestinians according to Gaza’s Health Ministry,

While the ministry reports that women and children constitute the majority of fatalities, it does not specify the exact number of civilians versus combatants killed. Israel claims to have eliminated over 20,000 militants, though it has not provided substantiating evidence.

The conflict has devastated significant portions of Gaza, displacing approximately 90 per cent of its population. The territory’s roughly 2 million Palestinian residents are now almost entirely dependent on international aid, as nearly all of Gaza’s food production capabilities have been decimated.