Republican Senator Lindsey Graham appeared to call for the sinking of the boat taking activist Greta Thunberg and others to Gaza as they hope to "break Israel's siege" of the enclave.
"Hope Greta and her friends can swim!" Graham said in a post on X reacting to an article detailing Thunberg's goal to take aid to Gaza. The publication received thousands of replies, many of them criticizing the senator's words.
Hope Greta and her friends can swim!https://t.co/Noab4QyJtV
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) June 1, 2025
Thunberg and 11 other people are on a boat operated by activist group Freedom Flotilla Coalition on their way to the war-torn territory. It departed from the port of Catania in Sicily on Sunday and also intends to raise "international awareness" the humanitarian crisis taking place there, activists said on Sunday before departing.
"The moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity. And, no matter how dangerous this mission is, it's not even near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the livestreamed genocide," Thunberg said. Israel has denied allegations of genocide and claims it's operating to dismantle the grip of Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by the U.S., in Gaza.
The boat is expected to take seven days to get to their destination if not stopped before. Another vessel tried to get to Gaza in early May but was prevented from doing it after allegedly being attacked by two drones while sailing off the coast of Malta. The group blamed Israel for the attack.
Israel resumed the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza in mid-May, now distributing it through a private operation rather than the UN. Israel at the same time expanded its operations in the enclave, aiming to seize its entire territory and displace its two million residents to a so-called humanitarian zone. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli Defense Forces will only stop the offensive if Hamas agrees to release all hostages remaining there, give up its arms and exile its leaders, among other demands.
A senior Israeli official said in early May that the army's plan to take over the Gaza Strip also contemplates facilitating voluntary emigration from the enclave.
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