The Freedom Flotilla’s Madleen, a boat named after Palestinian fisherwoman Madleen Culab, set sail from Sicily, Italy, on June 1, 2025, to break Israel’s illegal, months-long siege on Gaza. The first-ever Freedom Flotilla sailed in 2007, with a similar goal, but Israeli forces brutally killed 10 activists on board during the voyage. Similarly, many other flotillas set out but were either intercepted by the forces or killed. Before the Madleen, another Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship, the Conscience, was hit by Israeli drones, and four individuals were injured.
The Madleen carried nothing but aid—baby formula, 100 kg of flour, 250 kg of rice, nappies, sanitary products, water desalination kits, medical supplies, crutches, and children’s prosthetics. It was originally expected to reach Gaza by June 7. On board were a total of 12 crew members, including the famous Swedish activist, Greta Thunberg. The names and nationalities of the crew are listed below:
- Greta Thunberg — Sweden
- Baptiste Andre — France
- Reva Viard — France
- Rima Hassan — France
- Yanis Mhamdi — France
- Omar Faiad — France
- Pascal Maurieras — France
- Mark van Rennes — Netherlands
- Thiago Avila — Brazil
- Sergio Taribio — Spain
- Yasemin Acar — Germany
- Suayb Ordu — Turkey
The crew had only good intentions, and the FFC also notified the UK government of its legal duty to protect the Madleen (as it was sailing under a UK red ensign). However, during the journey, multiple threats were made by the Israeli forces, and on June 3, just two days after setting sail, the Madleen faced the IDF’s monitoring. Drones flew overhead of the ship, which were recorded and shared by the crew themselves on their social media. A couple of days later, a few refugees (four Sudanese migrants) were taken on board the Madleen from a ship headed to Lebanon. On June 8, the crew reported a few other ships going around the Madleen and also reported that the boat’s alarms had been triggered. Many videos of this have resurfaced on the internet, posted by the official Gaza Freedom Flotilla account as well. Many viewers were alarmed, and the Israeli government outwardly said that the crew would not be allowed to enter Gaza and they would ‘take all measures necessary’ to keep that from happening.
Consequently, the Madleen neared Egypt and was in international waters (approximately 110 nautical miles from Gaza) when, at 3:02 AM EEST, the Israeli military intercepted and violently boarded the ship. The Madleen’s security cameras caught this footage, and the crew could be seen tossing their phones into the sea. One of the crew members later stated that it was because they ‘knew the IDF wouldn’t return them.’ Shortly before, white powder was sprayed on the ship, which the crew described as an irritant.
The crew’s communication was cut off, and the military had seized the ship. Later, a few images were released by the IDF of supposedly giving the crew water and food. Again, a crew member later talked about this and said that it was because they didn’t want it to seem like an abduction, which it was. Yasemin Acar, a crew member, said to the media: “They kidnapped us, against our will, brought us and jailed us for almost four days […] They are breaching international law while occupying Gaza. And the international community needs to stop its complicity. They need to stop sending weapons. They need to send aid instead of weapons.”
After four days of international protest, it was reported that the crew had been moved to either Ashdod Port or Givon Prison in Ramle. A day later, Greta Thunberg and three others were forced to sign deportation letters and deported from Israel. However, eight of the crew refused to give in, and Suayb Ordu, after returning, reported that the IDF were violently forcing them to sign. He reported that one of the soldiers threatened to ‘bash Rima Hassan’s head into the wall’ if she didn’t cooperate. Dr Baptiste Andre also reported on the Israeli military’s aggressive behaviour towards the crew after his return. More reports came in, and it was told by Thiago Avila’s (another one of the crew members) lawyer that he was in solitary confinement with poor ventilation—moreover, he was on a hunger strike due to his illegal abduction and interception of the Madleen. He was told that he would not be allowed to communicate with anyone, not even his lawyer, by the IDF. Rima Hassan was, too, put in solitary confinement after she wrote ‘Free Palestine’ on a prison wall. After international protest and intervention by legal teams, though, both Thiago and Rima were deported by Israel.
However, due to Israel’s violent attacks on Iran, airspaces have closed, and it has been communicated that three members of the Madleen crew—Mark van Rennes, Yanis Mhamdi, and Pascal Maurieras—are still illegally detained by the IDF and may be for another month. The Madleen crew recently talked about this in a video uploaded on their social media. Thiago Avila mentioned that the IDF did not allow more than one hour of sunlight to them. Yasemin Acar said that they were not given basic human prisoner rights, such as being allowed to visit the canteen for clean water, and they were forced to drink contaminated tap water.
This illegal detention by Israel of peaceful, unarmed activists speaks volumes about how far they will go. However, the Madleen has sparked a global movement to break Israel’s illegal siege of Gaza, and thousands are marching to Palestine to do so under the banner of the Global March to Gaza. Many volunteers from countries such as Tunisia, Algeria, and around the world have boarded buses and been walking to Gaza for the past few days, serving as a symbol of resistance. Many have been intercepted and detained by some countries, such as Egypt, but the people’s voice is far louder. The Madleen may not have reached Gaza, but its spirit did, and now, the world should not sit blindly by.
ظُلْمُ الْيَوْمِ مَذَلَّةٌ لِلْغَدِ
The injustice of today is humiliation for tomorrow.