Israel detains activists aboard Gaza-bound aid ship
In a statement, the FFC said the Madleen had "been attacked/forcibly intercepted by the Israeli military" in international waters. "The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo — including baby formula, food and medical supplies — confiscated," the FFC said in a statement.
- World
- Anadolu Agency
- Published Date: 12:18 | 09 June 2025
An aid ship bound for Gaza docked at Israel's Ashdod Port on Monday after Israeli forces intercepted it and arrested all activists onboard, Israel's public broadcaster KAN said.
No details were shared about the condition of the activists on the Madleen ship.
The British-flagged boat aimed to break a crippling blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza, where nearly 55,000 people have been killed in a brutal onslaught since October 2023.
Carrying an amount of aid, including food and baby formula, the ship was boarded by Israeli forces during the night before it could reach the Gaza shore and was towed to Ashdod Port in Israel.
Israeli soldiers kidnapped 12 people on board the Madleen, including 11 activists and one journalist, said the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an international NGO, which organized the mission.
Among them are Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg; French-Palestinian Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan; Yasemin Acar from Germany; Baptiste Andre, Pascal Maurieras, Yanis Mhamdi, and Reva Viard from France; Thiago Avila from Brazil; Suayb Ordu from Türkiye; Sergio Toribio from Spain; Marco van Rennes from the Netherlands; and Omar Faiad, a journalist with Al Jazeera Mubasher, also from France.
- Gaza-bound aid ship Madleem arrives at Israeli port of Ashdod under military escort
- Gaza humanitarian blockade a 'scandal', shameful: Macron
- Iran threatens massive retaliation against Israel in case of attack
- Annual Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi city of Mecca draws to a close
- Italy citizenship referendum fails over low turnout