Videos and reports from activists aboard the Gaza-bound humanitarian aid ship called the Madleen surfaced on their personal accounts Sunday night, showing Israeli authorities seizing the vessel as activists raised their hands in the air.
Shortly after the arrest footage was posted to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition X account, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese stated that communication with the Madleen had been lost, and that the 12 activists aboard the ship had been reportedly placed under arrest by Israel authorities in international waters. Albanese called on the United Kingdom government to seek “full clarification” of the incident and to “secure the immediate release of the vessel and its crew.” She also urged that the Madleen be allowed to continue its “lawful humanitarian mission to Gaza.”
Earlier in the day, Albanese posted on X that Israeli authorities had jammed the Madleen’s radio communications and had also interfered with the ship’s tracking system. She later reported that five Israeli naval vessels had surrounded the Madleen before withdrawing. Soon after, she wrote that activists had observed four quadcopters—similar to those that attacked the Conscience, another Gaza-bound humanitarian aid ship, on May 2 in international waters near Malta—circling the Madleen. The drones allegedly dropped an unidentified white chemical substance onto the ship’s deck.
Pre-recorded videos from the activists are now circulating on the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s X account, urging the public to pressure their governments to demand the crew’s release, ensure their safe passage to Gaza, and push for an end to Israel’s siege on Gaza.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz had warned of the interception in a post on X, writing:
I have instructed the IDF to act so that the hate flotilla ‘Madleen’ does not reach the shores of Gaza—and to take all necessary measures to that end. To Greta the antisemite and her Hamas propaganda-speaking friends, I say clearly: you’d better turn back—because you will not reach Gaza. Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade or aid terrorist organizations—by sea, air, or land.
Earlier this week, UN experts called for the safe passage of the Madleen to Gaza, affirming that the people of Gaza have the right under international law to receive humanitarian aid and emergency medical supplies “through their own territorial waters, even under occupation.” They further asserted that the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s vessel has the right to free passage through international waters to deliver that aid. The UN experts emphasized that international law prohibits Israel from interfering with or altering the ship’s navigation system.
The Madleen set sail from Italy to Gaza on June 1 in an attempt to deliver life-saving humanitarian aid to the population in Gaza, noting that Israel has blocked all aid from entering the Gaza Strip since March 2. Human Rights Watch (HRW) has stated that Israel’s acts have led to the “deliberate starvation” of over 2 million Gazan civilians.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry has since released a video showing the activists being transported to Israel aboard a lifeboat.
