Spain called for severance of relations with Israel over the interception of the Madeline vessel

The Spanish leftist coalition Sumar and the Podemos party called for a break in relations with Israel after their forces intercepted the Madeline ship bound for the Gaza Strip. This was reported on June 10 by the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia.

"At their two press conferences in Congress, representatives of Podemos and Sumar, Jonah Belarra and Veronica Barbero, respectively, emphasized that Israel had "seized" this ship, which was "loaded with humanitarian aid" and human rights activists were traveling on it," the newspaper said.

It is clarified that the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) also summoned the Charge d'affaires of the Israeli Embassy in Madrid, Dan Pogba, in order to protest the incident.

Then Israeli naval special forces took control of the Madeline vessel, which was carrying 12 pro-Palestinian activists, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. There was a Spaniard among them.

Pressure point: Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza as part of its operation

The IDF has stepped up operations around the entire perimeter of the exclave — during one of the strikes, the head of the military wing of Hamas was killed.

On June 10, Thunberg reported that she and her associates had been illegally abducted by Israel in international waters. She noted that there are many uncertainties for her, as the events were chaotic. Thunberg was also unaware of what was happening due to the fact that she had been without a phone for several days.