Gaza Aid Flotilla Raid: Activists Arrested, Rima Hassan Held, Greta Thunberg Deported Amid Rising Tensions; US Deploys Troops to Los Angeles Amid Protests

International tensions escalated this week following the interception of an aid vessel bound for Gaza and significant domestic unrest in the United States, prompting troop deployment.

Israeli forces raided the ship Madleen in international waters, which was attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. The vessel carried 12 international activists. Following the raid, eight of the activists were formally arrested by Israel after they reportedly refused a voluntary deportation order. Among those arrested is Rima Hassan, a French Palestinian member of the European Parliament.

Earlier, Swedish activist Greta Thunberg was among other passengers who were deported. The raid on the Madleen, which had five French passengers aboard, sparked massive protests in France on Monday, highlighting the international outcry over access to Gaza.

Escalating Conflict in the Middle East

Separately, the conflict in the Middle East saw further intensification. Israel launched overnight strikes on Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah, a key port for humanitarian aid deliveries. This action, according to reports, was accompanied by threats of an aerial and naval blockade in response to Houthi attacks.

Humanitarian Crisis and Casualties in Gaza

The situation in Gaza continues to be dire, with significant casualties reported. At least 60 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since Monday alone. A particularly devastating incident occurred in southern Gaza, where Israeli forces reportedly opened fire on families walking to an aid site. This attack resulted in the deaths of at least 20 Palestinians and injured over 100 others.

Health workers at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis reported being overwhelmed with cases of people attacked while attempting to seek aid from U.S. food distribution centers located in Rafah.

The toll on essential workers is also significant. At least three Palestinian paramedics—Hussein Abu Faisal, Wael Al-Attar, and Bara Afana—were killed in Israeli strikes while attempting to rescue wounded families from an airstrike on a home in Gaza City. The journalist Moamen Abu Al-Auf was also killed in that same attack, marking his death as the 227th media worker killed in Gaza over the past 20 months.

Adding to the international condemnation, a U.N. commission stated that Israeli attacks on Gaza’s schools, religious, and cultural sites amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

US Domestic Tensions and Troop Deployment

The United States also faced significant domestic unrest. David Huerta, head of the SEIU (Service Employees International Union) in California, was released on bond Monday following his Friday arrest by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).

Huerta was arrested on a charge of conspiring to impede an officer, an offense that could potentially result in a six-year federal prison sentence. Protests related to immigration enforcement and other issues continued in Los Angeles on Monday, following recent ICE raids across the city.

In response to the ongoing demonstrations, the Trump administration announced the deployment of 700 U.S. Marines, expected from nearby Camp Pendleton, and an additional 2,000 National Guard troops. This significant military presence was announced as a measure to crack down on the protests that have erupted across Los Angeles.

The confluence of events, from international maritime incidents and escalating conflicts in the Middle East to civil unrest and military deployment in the United States, underscores a period of heightened global and domestic tension.