Sky News has faced a barrage of 1,270 Ofcom complaints following a presenter's remarks about a ship carrying aid to Gaza.
The incident occurred during the Today with Samantha Washington programme on June 7, which reported on the Madleen vessel.
The Madleen was intercepted before it could make landfall in Israel, and activist Greta Thunberg alleged she was "kidnapped", urging the Swedish government to intervene. Over the weekend, Sky News carried reports concerning the vessel on its way to deliver aid.
Ofcom disclosed that they had received 1,270 complaints from viewers who felt the presenter's commentary misrepresented the mission's peaceful objective.
The contentious comments aired on Today with Samantha Washington on Sky News, Saturday, June starting at 10:30 am.
In a segment with activist Thiago Avila, Samantha remarked: "What you're actually carrying is really a drop in the ocean to what people in Gaza need, so really it's a symbolic mission rather than a humanitarian one."
To this, Thiago replied, "It's a humanitarian mission. There's a very big effort to be bigger than what we are.", reports the Mirror.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), behind the yacht's journey, stated the ship was loaded with humanitarian supplies. They anticipated potential Israeli interference, asserting the yacht was "forcibly intercepted" by Israeli forces.
The halting of the vessel occurred around 160 nautical miles from Gaza's coastline.
Defence minister Israel Katz issued a strong statement, saying the state would "act against any attempt to break the blockade or assist terrorist organisations". The ship was seized at 5.30am local time off the Egyptian coast.
Greta Thunberg condemned the intervention, claiming the team was "intercepted and kidnapped in international waters" by "forces that support Israel" and called on her supporters to "put pressure on the Swedish government" for action. She implored: "I urge all my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible."
Israel Katz, the Israeli Minister of Defence, took to social media to brand the mission a "hate flotilla" issuing instructions to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] to prevent the vessel from reaching Gaza and to take all necessary measures to do so. He further made a striking allegation, denouncing members of the crew as "anti-Semitic".
In his post, he declared: "To the anti-Semitic Greta and her fellow Hamas propaganda spokespeople, I say clearly: You should turn back - because you will not reach Gaza. Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade or assist terrorist organisations – at sea, in the air, and on land."
Meanwhile, the Palestinian defence ministry commended the activists, describing their efforts as "noble" and extending its "salutes to the international solidarity activists aboard the ship attempting to break the siege on the Gaza Strip".
