New Delhi: After hours of high drama, threats from the Israeli defence minister, and the jamming of communications of the ‘Freedom Flotilla’, Madleen carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza was surrounded by Israeli forces in the Egyptian waters of Port Said under cover of darkness Monday around 2 am (5.30 am IST).
Activists on board, including Greta Thunberg and French Member of European Parliament (MEP) Rima Hassan, were detained after the Israeli forces boarded the vessel.
Madleen, carrying 12 activists from different countries, was taking flour, baby formula and crutches, among other aid, to Gaza, attempting to break Israel’s blockade of the strip in response to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the region.
The end of Madleen’s journey came when five Israeli speedboats surrounded the vessel, as two drones hovered overhead, according to Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur. The Israeli Navy ordered the boat to turn back, then boarded it, detained everyone on board, and confiscated their phones, cutting off all communication.
The crew of the Freedom Flotilla was arrested by the Israeli army in international waters around 2 a.m.,” Hassan posted on X.
The Israeli foreign ministry later announced on X that the “selfie yatch” of “celebrities” was diverted to Israel.
“The passengers are expected to return to their home countries,” it said. “All passengers of the ‘selfie yacht’ are safe and unharmed. They were provided with sandwiches and water… the show is over,” it added in another post.
The ministry also termed the effort as an attempt to stage a media provocation only to gain publicity, emphasising how insufficient the aid was: “less than a single truckload”.
Claiming that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has distributed “close to 11 million meals directly to civilians in Gaza”, the ministry said the Freedom Flotilla aid would also reach Gaza through “real humanitarian channels”.
The Israeli foreign ministry also posted a photograph of a smiling Thunberg on X, captioned that she was “Currently on her way to Israel, safe and in good spirits.”
Greta Thunberg is currently on her way to Israel, safe and in good spirits. pic.twitter.com/pjWSr0lOsE
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) June 9, 2025
Right before their detention, the activists reported that the Israeli forces sprayed the Freedom Flotilla with white chemicals while communicating from social media platforms via their devices.
When ThePrint contacted the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the response from press officer Hay Sha Wiya read: “The Madleen is currently under assault in international waters. Quadcopters are surrounding the ship, spraying it with a white paint-like substance. Communications are jammed, and disturbing sounds are being played over the radio.”
In response to the seizing of the boat, pro-Palestine protesters who had been keeping an eye on the vessel flocked to Place de la République in Paris in large numbers. Ahead of the takeover of the Madleen, Hassan had asked the French people to keep vigil at the République.
The activists had been urging the public to contact their members of parliament, as well as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy, and other British MPs to ask them to provide the UK-registered Madleen cover from Israeli forces.
French President Emmanuel Macron has not yet issued any statement.
However, former MEP Jean-Luc Mélenchon posted a communication from his party La France Insoumise, to which Hassan also belongs, demanding the release of the activists and public mobilisation. He also called on the United Nations, the European Union, and the international community to respond.
“Strongly condemn this illegal arrest. Demand the immediate and unconditional release of all crew members; pressure the Israeli authorities to allow unhindered passage of humanitarian aid to Gaza, in accordance with international law. It is the duty of all nations committed to human rights not to remain silent in the face of these flagrant violations of international law committed by Israel. Solidarity is not a crime,” he wrote.
From the same party, Manon Aubry, another French MEP, wrote on X: “It’s now. @EmmanuelMacron, @vonderleyen and @EP_President, your silence will have been complicit. You will be held responsible for the fate of the #FlotilleDeLaLiberté!”
She called the Israeli move a new violation of international law in the total silence of the international community.
“No more contact with the humanitarian ship and the Israeli army boarded. Even without images and with the internet jammed, the whole world is watching what supremacist (Israel PM Benjamin) Netanyahu is doing to the crew illegally. The whole world is watching and admiring the courage of those who are taking action to put an end to genocide and famine,” Deputy in the French National Assembly, Mathilde Panot, from La France Insoumise posted.
Talking about the arrests, Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz wrote on X that one of his instructions to the IDF was “to show the flotilla passengers the video of the horrors of the 7 October massacre when they arrive at the port of Ashdod”. He also congratulated the IDF for what he called “the quick and safe takeover” of Madleen.
A warning, and hope
On Sunday evening, Israel had started issuing warnings as the Freedom Flotilla made its way towards Gaza.
“I have instructed the IDF (Israel defence Force) to act to prevent the ‘Madeleine’ hate flotilla from reaching the shores of Gaza – and to take whatever measures are necessary to that end… 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,” Israel Katz warned in an X post.
The activists, however, remained hopeful of reaching Gaza till the last moment, holding video interactions with Palestinian journalists in their evening hours. The Gazans also had started crowding the port, looking forward to welcoming the humanitarian team.
The members on board Madleen include Yasemin Acar (Germany), Baptiste Andre, Pascal Maurieras, Omar Faiad, Yanis Mhamdi, and Reva Viard from France, Thiago Avila from Brazil, Şuayb Ordu from Turkey, Sergio Toribio from Spain, and Marco Van Rennes from The Netherlands.
After they had embarked on their journey to Gaza, leaders such as Jeremy Corbyn and Rashida Tlaib had called for their safe passage.
“The Freedom Flotilla sailing toward Gaza is not just carrying life-saving aid. It is carrying solidarity, hope and our shared humanity,” independent British MP Jeremy Corbyn posted.
United States Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib wrote on X: “I’m leading a letter to the Trump administration demanding safe passage for the @GazaFFlotilla to deliver humanitarian aid and food to Gaza. Any interception or attack on this crew is a violation of international law.”
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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