 "Climate activist Greta Thunberg with other activists from a human rights organisation meets with journalists in Catania, Italy, June 1, 2025, ahead of their departure. File Image/AP")
Israeli military forces have boarded and seized control of a British-flagged humanitarian vessel, Madleen, which was headed toward Gaza in a high-profile attempt to bypass Israel’s longstanding naval blockade of the Palestinian territory.
On board were 12 international activists, including Swedish climate advocate Greta Thunberg and French MEP Rima Hassan.
The operation, conducted in the early hours of Monday in international waters, prevented the vessel from reaching its intended destination.
The ship, organised by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), was carrying what it described as critical humanitarian items such as baby formula, rice and medical supplies.
The coalition had launched the weeklong mission from Sicily with the aim of highlighting the worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza and pressuring governments to take more direct action.
The interception drew swift condemnation from the flotilla’s organisers and rights groups, who accused Israel of unlawfully intervening in a peaceful humanitarian voyage.
Israeli officials, however, dismissed the effort as a theatrical manoeuvre intended to generate global media attention.
Why did Israel detain Greta Thunberg and other activists?
Israel’s Foreign Ministry later confirmed that its naval forces had taken over the vessel and redirected it to an Israeli port.
In a social media post, the ministry described the vessel disparagingly, referring to it as “the ‘selfie yacht’ of the ‘celebrities,’” and added, “The passengers are expected to return to their home countries.”
The ministry also stated that the individuals aboard the ship were not harmed and had been provided basic food and water.
“All the passengers of the ‘selfie yacht’ are safe and unharmed. They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over,” the ministry wrote, accompanying footage of the activists wearing lifejackets and seated aboard the ship.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz had earlier instructed the military to block the ship’s entry into Gaza waters. Labelling the voyage a propaganda stunt on behalf of Hamas, Katz stated that Israel would not allow any breach of its maritime restrictions around Gaza.
The government reiterated that the small amount of aid being transported would be rerouted to Gaza via authorised humanitarian channels.
“The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the ‘celebrities’ will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels,” the foreign ministry stated.
How did activists aboard react?
According to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, Israeli forces approached and boarded the vessel at approximately 2 am local time while it was still in international waters.
The group condemned the operation as a violation of international maritime law, stating: “The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo — including baby formula, food and medical supplies — confiscated.”
Huwaida Arraf, a representative of the FFC, added: “Israel has no legal authority to detain international volunteers aboard the Madleen. These volunteers are not subject to Israeli jurisdiction and cannot be criminalised for delivering aid or challenging an illegal blockade – their detention is arbitrary, unlawful, and must end immediately.”
The coalition also published a pre-recorded message from Greta Thunberg that was released after the interception.
In the video, Thunberg stated: “If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces, or forces that support Israel. 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.”
Rima Hassan, the French lawmaker of Palestinian descent who was also on board, confirmed the arrest on social media and posted an image of the crew seated with their hands in the air, all wearing orange life vests.
How Israel has been blocking aid to Gaza
The Madleen had departed from Sicily and had recently made a stop to rescue four migrants attempting to evade the Libyan coast guard by jumping into the sea.
The journey, while modest in terms of aid volume, was primarily designed to draw global attention to Gaza’s worsening humanitarian situation.
Gaza, home to over 2 million Palestinians, has been grappling with severe shortages of food, fuel and medical supplies.
Israel first imposed a blockade on Gaza in 2007 after Hamas took control of the coastal enclave. While Israel argues that the blockade is necessary to prevent Hamas from acquiring weapons, human rights organisations have long criticised it as a form of collective punishment against the population of Gaza.
The current blockade was tightened further following the outbreak of war in October 2023.
The latest conflict began after Hamas launched a coordinated attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing approximately 1,200 people and abducting 251 others, according to Israeli figures.
Since then, Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, the Gaza Health Ministry reports, noting that women and children comprise the majority of the dead.
The scale of destruction has left around 90 per cent of Gaza’s residents displaced and heavily dependent on international aid for survival.
Since March, Israel has blocked all aid, including food, water, medicine and fuel, from entering the Gaza Strip. Israel has closed or heavily restricted key crossings like Rafah and Kerem Shalom, with repeated denials of aid convoy movements, particularly to northern Gaza.
Although Israel has allowed limited aid to enter through official crossings under international pressure — particularly from the United States — humanitarian experts warn the current levels are inadequate.
Israel has proposed a controversial US-backed plan to control aid distribution through private contractors and “secure zones,” which has led to dozens of Palestinians dead at those sites following reports of alleged firing by Israeli troops on the aid seekers.
The United Nations has sounded alarms about looming famine conditions across much of the Gaza Strip.
What next for the activists?
The Israeli military has said that it will show Greta Thunberg and other activists footage of the 7 October attacks.
Francesca Albanese, the United Nations’ special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, supported the FFC’s mission and called for a broader civil society push to challenge the 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 social media.
This incident is not the first time the Freedom Flotilla Coalition has faced disruption at sea.
In a separate episode last month, another FFC vessel was allegedly struck by drones in international waters near Malta, damaging its front section. The group attributed the strike to Israeli forces.
Efforts to end the war through negotiated truces remain deadlocked. Hamas has insisted that it will not release the remaining 55 hostages — over half of whom are believed to be deceased — unless Israel agrees to a permanent ceasefire and full military withdrawal.
Israel, meanwhile, has pledged to continue operations until all hostages are recovered and Hamas is dismantled or expelled.
For now, the Madleen’s passengers are expected to be returned to their respective countries.
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With inputs from agencies