Israeli military forces have intercepted Madleen, the aid vessel carrying climate activist Greta Thunberg that attempted to break a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The ship with its crew of 12 is now believed to be in a port in Israel, although communication with its headquarters has been lost.
The UK-flagged yacht Madleen, which is operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), was aiming to deliver aid to Gaza and raise international awareness of the humanitarian crisis there.
However, the boat was boarded during the night before it could reach shore, the FFC said on its Telegram account. The Israeli Foreign Ministry later confirmed that it was under Israeli control.
All passengers were safe and unharmed, the ministry later added saying they were provided with sandwiches and water.
According to an FFC statement: ‘The Freedom Flotilla Coalition confirms that its civilian ship, Madleen, carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, has been attacked/forcibly intercepted by the Israeli military at 3:02 am CET (Central European Time) in international waters at 31.95236° N, 32.38880° E. The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo—including baby formula, food and medical supplies—confiscated.’
Thunberg pre-recorded a video posted on the X account of FFC to be posted in the event of the ship being intercepted. It alleged the activists were ‘intercepted and kidnapped’. She called on her supporters to put ‘pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible.’
Among the crew is Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament.
‘The crew of the Freedom Flotilla was arrested by the Israeli army in international waters around 2 am’ she posted on X. A photograph showed the crew seated on the boat, all wearing life jackets, with their hands in the air.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the country’s military on Sunday to prevent the Madleen from reaching Gaza, calling the mission a propaganda effort in support of Hamas.
The United Nations’ special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, has supported the FFC operation and on Sunday, urged other boats to challenge the Gaza blockade.
‘Madleen’s journey may have ended, but the mission isn’t over. Every Mediterranean port must send boats with aid & solidarity to Gaza,’ she wrote on X.
‘Israel has no legal authority to detain international volunteers aboard the Madleen,’ said Huwaida Arraf, human rights attorney and Freedom Flotilla organizer. ‘This seizure blatantly violates international law and defies the ICJ’s binding orders requiring unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza. These volunteers are not subject to Israeli jurisdiction and cannot be criminalized for delivering aid or challenging an illegal blockade—their detention is arbitrary, unlawful, and must end immediately.’
