The UK-flagged crusing yacht Madleen and her twelve particular person crew, amongst them activist Greta Thunberg, have been seized with some detained by Israeli armed forces
Replace 10 June 2025 12:00 BST: Following its interception by Israeli forces on 9 June 2025, the Madleen was docked within the port of Ashdod Monday night. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) had been out of contact with the twelve members of the crew for 19 hours.
The Israeli International Ministry (IFM) posted two pictures of members of the Madleen’s crew, stating on their official X account that “The ‘Selfie Yacht’ docked at Ashdod Port a short time in the past”, and that passengers had been present process medical examinations.
On Tuesday morning 10 June 2025, Swedish activist Greta Thunberg departed a Tel Aviv airport on a flight to Sweden through France. One other three have since been deported, whereas the 8 remaining activists from Madleen’s crew have refused deportation. Amongst them are the Madleen’s Skipper Riva Viard and Rima Hassan, a French MEP of Palestinian origin.
“Those that refuse to signal deportation paperwork and depart Israel will probably be introduced earlier than a judicial authority,” the official IFM account wrote on X.
The FFC says that they anticipate members who don’t agree to depart instantly to be moved to the Givon detention facility for ‘unlawful residents’ in Ramleh. They are going to be held for 96 hours, after which they are often deported with or with out their consent.
In an replace from Freedom Flotilla, Press Officer Hay Sea Wiÿa writes that “Israel is dealing with the custody of all 12 as if that they had entered illegally– regardless that they had been forcibly kidnapped from worldwide waters and introduced into Israel towards their will.”
Report from Monday 9 June 2025:
Crusing yacht Madleen was on its strategy to ship humanitarian help to the Gaza Strip when it was intercepted by Israeli forces on 9 June 2025, simply after 05:30 native time (03:30 BST).
On the time of its seizure, the vessel was crusing lawfully in worldwide waters 110 nautical miles from Gaza. It was heading in direction of Palestinian territorial waters below a British flag.
The place is the Madleen?
At current, the Madleen’s actual location and anticipated docking time are nonetheless unknown. No contact has been doable together with her crew since their detainment, and updates have ceased on her dwell tracker.
Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz stated each the Madleen and its crew can be taken to the Israeli port metropolis of Ashdod, round 27km north of the Gaza Strip. Upon their arrival in Ashdod, Katz has instructed that Madleen’s crew be proven footage from the Hamas-led assaults of seven October 2023. Since then, Israel’s response has been extensively denounced as a genocide.
The ship, registered as Barcarole, was renamed Madleen by its crew in honour of Madleen Kulab, Gaza’s first and solely recognized fisherwoman. Picture: Getty
The Madleen’s interception
Israeli navy personnel boarded the vessel earlier than it misplaced sign. Moments earlier than, drones had dropped an unidentified white, paint-like chemical substance on board.
In a video clip from onboard one of many crew feedback, “We’re utilizing the Palestine flag to guard us,” earlier than telling the digital camera, “It’s burning my eyes, this factor.”
Additional video footage since launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition exhibits the crew cooperating with Israeli forces, with no bodily confrontation occuring between the 2 events.
Within the video, Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila could be heard saying right into a telephone, “It’s essential you recognize, nobody is wounded now. Nobody was wounded after they boarded our boat.”
Nonetheless an unnamed lady says, off digital camera, “If something occurs to us, that is one more struggle crime.”
On their official social channels, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition has beforehand acknowledged that, ‘Any assault or interference with the Madleen would represent a violation of the UN Conference on the Regulation of the Sea (UNCLOS), an affront to UK sovereignty, and a breach of worldwide humanitarian regulation.’
Picture: Getty
Greta Thunberg and the Madleen‘s crew
The 12 members of Madleen’s crew are: Skipper Reva Viard, Greta Thunberg, Rima Hassan, Yasemin Acar, Thiago Avila, Yanis Mhamdi, Omar Faiad, Sergio Toribio, Baptiste Andre, Suayb Ordu, Mark van Rennes, Pascal Maurieras.
Within the hours because the vessel’s seizure, the GFF has launched pre-recorded movies of many of those Professional-Palestinian activists urging motion in case of their detainment.
In one in every of these extensively circulated clips, Greta Thunberg dons a Keffiyeh (a head costume historically worn within the Center East and a logo of Palestinian solidarity), stating:
“When you see this video we’ve got been intercepted and kidnapped in worldwide waters by the Israeli Occupational Forces, or forces that assist Israel. I urge all my buddies, household, and comrades to place stress on the Swedish authorities to launch me and the others as quickly as doable.”
The video was adopted by related clips of the remainder of the crew interesting to residents of their respective international locations of origin, which embody Brazil, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Turkey.
Picture: Getty
The Gaza Freedom Flotilla
Fashioned in 2010, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition says it really works with ‘civil society companions’, quite than any occasion, faction or authorities.
The flotilla was aiming to interrupt an Israeli-imposed sea blockade that has surrounded Gaza since 2007 by crusing by way of it. The Madleen’s journey was organised and undertaken in full compliance with worldwide, maritime, and humanitarian regulation.
The Barcarole/Madleen is an 18 metre schooner constructed by Van Dam Nordia in 1974. It was motoring on the time of its interception.
When it set off from the Italian port of Catania, Sicily, on June 1st, Madleen carried an unarmed crew and a small amount – which the campaigners outlined as a symbolic quantity, lower than a lorry load – of humanitarian help, together with objects similar to rice, medical provides, and child formulation.
Israel denounced the small quantity of help carried onboard. In a press convention immediately Israeli authorities spokesman David Mencer stated: “As regards to help, the yacht had a meagre cargo however in fact it is going to be despatched into Gaza.”
He added: “With regards to this flotilla, it wasn’t a flotilla, it was a selfie yacht. It was Instagram activism.”
Crusing activism
In a earlier incident in Could 2010, a Turkish-owned help vessel, the Mavi Marmara was seized by Israeli forces, who killed 10 passengers on board and left one other 30 wounded. Mavi Marmara was a part of a six-ship help flotilla additionally making an attempt to breach the naval blockade of Gaza, carrying 10,000 tonnes of products, together with faculty provides, constructing supplies and two giant electrical energy mills.
Environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg has beforehand twice sailed throughout the Atlantic as a part of her activism.
In 2019 she sailed to New York aboard the IMOCA 60 Malizia with Vendée Globe skipper Boris Herrmann with a purpose to attend the UN Local weather Motion Summit with out air journey. She then made the return passage again to Europe aboard the catamaran La Vagabonde with crew together with Nikki Henderson (a significant Yachting World characteristic).
Picture: Getty
World Response to the Madleen‘s interception
In an announcement, the Turkish International Ministry stated, “This heinous act by the Netanyahu authorities, which threatens the liberty of navigation and maritime safety, as soon as once more demonstrates that Israel is performing as a terror state.”
France is already working to make sure the swift return of French residents that had been onboard.
In a current put up on X, Francesca Albanese, UN particular rapporteur on human rights within the occupied Palestinian territories, urges the UK authorities to “safe the fast launch of the vessel and its crew.” In keeping with the BBC, Downing Avenue has acknowledged that it hopes to resolve the query, “safely with restraint, in keeping with worldwide humanitarian regulation”.
“Each Mediterranean port,” Albanese writes on X, “ought to ship boats with help, solidarity, and humanity to Gaza. They shall sail collectively – united, they are going to be unstoppable.”
On land, information of the incident has garnered assist worldwide, with protests underway to oppose the seizure and detainment of Madleen and her crew and the continuing occupation of Gaza. Up to now, at the least 54,880 folks have been killed by the Israeli forces in Gaza since October 7, 2023, in accordance with the territory’s Hamas-run well being ministry.
Newest replace
In keeping with Israel’s international ministry at round 1500 (BST), crusing yacht Madleen is “safely making its strategy to the shores of Israel”.
A bunch of pro-Palestinian activists in Ashdod are gathering for an illustration earlier than her arrival. The yacht’s cargo will probably be despatched to Gaza, whereas the members of her crew are anticipated to be deported to their house international locations.
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