New Delhi: Israeli commandos stopped the British-flagged ship Madleen, with Greta Thunberg and 11 others, as it tried to go against Israel’s Gaza naval blockade.
What is known as the Madleen, run by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), set off from Catania, Sicily, on June 1, carrying items such as rice, baby formula, and medical supplies. At around 2 a.m. on Monday, Israeli sailors boarded the ship and moved it to the port of Ashdod, which took more than 160 nautical miles from Gaza. The Foreign Ministry of Israel said the vessel is heading towards the country’s shores, where the activists will be deported to their individual countries.
The FCC asserted that Israeli sailors “unlawfully boarded” the boat and seized the freedom of those on board, all while on the high seas. The group emphasised on Telegram that Israel is Mayday when it interrupts the mission since the mission has two goals: to help the people and protest the closing of Gaza’s borders due to Israel’s 2007 blockade aimed at stopping Hamas from arming. Two of the detained individuals were French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan, who is barred from entering Israel because of her political actions, and Brazilian activist Thiago Avila.
Minister of Defence Katz stated that the mission aimed to bolster Hamas’ propaganda by preventing the ship from entering Israel’s waters. A tiny supply will be sent to Gaza through proper channels, and the Israeli Foreign Ministry described the yacht as something “made for selfies and headline chasing”. Mr Santa Cruz speaks about being kidnapped, and Ms Thunberg calls the event a “kidnapping” and urges everyone to support the fight for their freedom from authorities.
On 13 May 2025, a drone attack was carried out against the FFC vessel Conscience, which was off Malta, and responsibility was claimed by the group, who said Israel was involved, but the Israeli government has not given any comment. UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese was in support of the ship heading to Gaza, urging others to do the same. Some thinkers bring up arguments that state the problems are not alleviated by the flotilla, especially since they say more than 54,000 Palestinians lost their lives in Gaza from October 2023, as reported by health officials.
The interception underlines the continuous friction over Gaza’s blockade, since Israel is concerned about security and others argue about humanitarian restrictions. Because the activists might get deported, the FFC promises to stay strong and warns that more confrontations are likely.