Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and 11 other international activists were intercepted by Israeli forces early Monday while aboard the Madleen, a civilian aid boat attempting to breach Israel's naval blockade of Gaza.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which organized the voyage, said the vessel was in international waters near the Egyptian coast when it was boarded around 3:00 AM CET.
Highlights
- Greta Thunberg and 11 activists were intercepted by Israeli forces aboard the Madleen in international waters near Egypt.
- The Madleen, carrying baby formula and medical aid, tried to breach Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza but was boarded and detained.
- The activists reported drones dropping a white irritant on the boat before boarding; they sheltered below deck and suffered eye irritation.
- Israeli authorities confirmed all detainees are unharmed, currently in Israel, and will be shown footage of Hamas’s October 7 massacre.
According to a pre-recorded video posted on social media by the FFC, Thunberg said: “If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by Israeli occupational forces or forces that support Israel.”
Greta Thunberg was intercepted by Israeli forces aboard a humanitarian aid boat to Gaza
Image credits: Fabrizio Villa/Getty Images
She called on her supporters to pressure the Swedish government for her and her companions' immediate release.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed that the boat had been intercepted and that all passengers were “unharmed” and were being transported to the port of Ashdod.
Photos shared by the ministry showed Thunberg and other activists in life jackets, being offered food by Israeli personnel.
They said Thunberg is “safe and in good spirits” after officials intercepted her “selfie yacht” when it entered the sea close to Gaza.
The ministry said the passengers are expected to return to their home countries. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz also confirmed that upon arrival in Israel, the detainees would be shown footage of Hamas’s October 7 massacre.
The activists had set out from Catania, Sicily, on June 1, carrying humanitarian supplies including baby formula and medical aid to Gaza.
After imposing a three-month total blockade to pressure Hamas, Israel started allowing some basic aid into Gaza last month.
Image credits: Freedom Flotilla Coalition
UN agency UNRWA has raised concerns about how hunger is being used as a weapon of war in the territory.
“While Greta and others attempted to stage a media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain publicity — and which included less than a single truckload of aid — more than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza from Israel within the past two weeks, and in addition, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has distributed close to 11 million meals directly to civilians in Gaza,” the Israel Foreign Ministry said on X.
In a video posted by FFC, Thunberg said that they have been "intercepted and kidnapped" by Israeli forces
Image credits: Freedom Flotilla Coalition
Over 100 civilians have been killed and 600 injured at Rafah aid distribution sites since May 27.
Just a day before Israeli forces boarded the Madleen, Katz had written on X: “I have instructed the IDF to act to prevent the ‘Madeleine’ hate flotilla from reaching the shores of Gaza – and to take whatever measures are necessary to that end.”
Rima Hassan, a French member of the European parliament who was on board the Madleen, posted an image on her social media before communication was cut off, showing that drones dropped an unidentified white chemical substance on the deck before the Israeli forces boarded.
“Quadcopters are surrounding the ship, spraying it with a white irritant substance,” the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said on its Telegram channel.
Activist Rima Hassan reported burning eyes among the crew, while Huwaida Arraf of the International Solidarity Movement told Al Jazeera the group was forced to shelter below deck during the aerial assault.
The group also shared videos on Instagram reporting on their communication channels being jammed and drones surrounding the ships.
“The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo – including baby formula, food and medical supplies – confiscated,” FFC said in a statement.
FFC shared security camera footage of the crew on X, before the IFM confirmed it had intercepted the vessel.
Image credits: Freedom Flotilla Coalition
The video showed crew members rushing for cover and urging others on board to “assume positions” as the drones allegedly swarmed overhead.
“Please sound the alarm, we are surrounded by Israeli drones, the same ones that bombed our boats one month ago,” Thiago Avila said.
He also reportedly told the crew to “ditch your phones… phones in the water.”
Shortly after, someone can be seen throwing a device off the side of the boat. A laptop is also thrown overboard.
A woman’s voice says: “If anything happens to us, this is a war crime.”
Israel has repeatedly said it will not allow unauthorized vessels to reach Gaza.
“The Gaza maritime zone remains an active conflict area, and Hamas has previously exploited sea routes for terrorist attacks, including the October 7th massacre,” the ministry wrote on X.
Israeli forces have said the group is safe and will return to their home countries
A member on board the Madleen, Yasemin Acar, had said in an Instagram post that the group is unarmed and peaceful, carrying only humanitarian aid.
“We are not a threat here, the threat is the blockade, the threat is the bombs, the threat is the ongoing starvation of an entire population. The threat is the systematic killing of civilians, the threat is genocide.
“If Israel was not occupying Palestine, if there wasn't nearly 80 years of ethnic cleansing, if our own governments weren't giving Israel full impunity, arming it instead of holding it accountable, if they sent aid instead of bombs we would not be here,” she added.
This is not the first time the Freedom Flotilla Coalition has been stopped en route to Gaza.
In early May, another of its vessels, the Conscience, was reportedly attacked by two drones in international waters near Malta, an incident the group blamed Israel for.
Israel denies all allegations of genocide.
Thunberg’s participation in the flotilla has intensified global attention on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Israel’s tactics in enforcing its blockade.