Gaza-bound aid ship Madleem arrives at Israeli port of Ashdod under military escort
A Gaza-bound aid boat reached Israel's Ashdod port on Monday after being intercepted by Israeli forces, preventing the dozen activists on board including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg from reaching the blockaded Palestinian territory.
- World
- Agencies and A News
- Published Date: 10:30 | 09 June 2025
The aid ship Madleem, loaded with vital humanitarian supplies for Gaza, reached Israel's port of Ashdod on Monday evening under military escort, an Anadolu correspondent reported.
Israeli forces seized the vessel early Monday, diverting it from its mission to deliver critical aid to the besieged enclave.
The vessel arrived in Israel escorted by Israeli warships, the correspondent said.
An AFP photographer said that the Madleen, which organisers said was intercepted in international waters overnight, reached the port north of Gaza at around 8:45 pm (1745 GMT), escorted by the Israeli navy.
The Madleen set sail from Italy on June 1 to raise awareness of food shortages in the Gaza Strip, which the United Nations has called the "hungriest place on Earth".
After more than 20 months of war, triggered by Palestinian militant group Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, the UN has warned that Gaza's entire population is at risk of famine.
At around 4:02 am (0102 GMT) on Monday, Israeli troops "forcibly intercepted" the vessel as it approached Gaza, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said.
"If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped," Thunberg said in pre-recorded footage shared by the coalition.
Video from the group shows the activists with their hands up as Israeli forces boarded the vessel, with one of them saying nobody was injured prior to the interception.