In life imitating art, Israel goes Clockwork Orange on the activists.
Israel’s defence minister orders military to screen video of October 7 atrocities for detained activists
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has congratulated the Israeli military on its “swift” takeover of the Madleen. In a statement on X, Katz said he has instructed the military to screen a video documenting the Hamas-led October 7 attack for the detained activists upon their arrival at Israel’s Ashdod Port.
He also repeated unfounded claims that Greta Thunberg – the Swedish activist with the Madleen – is “anti-Semitic” and supports Hamas. Katz said it would be “appropriate” for Thunberg and the other activists to witness footage of the “atrocious acts” committed during the October 7 assault.
All the people on board have seen much worse since Oct 7 and before Oct 7. The Freedom Flotilla 'movement' started in 2010, 13 years before Oct 7.
Australian Jewish group calls for release of Madleen crew
The Jewish Council of Australia has expressed “grave concerns for the activists on board the Gaza Freedom Flotilla” after it was intercepted and boarded by Israeli forces.
“We call on the Australian government to urgently intervene to secure the immediate release of the vessel and safety of the crew,” Sarah Schwartz, the council’s executive officer, said in a statement. “Israel has a history of killing activists trying to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and cannot be trusted to ensure the safety of the Freedom Flotilla crew,” she added.
Schwartz also decried the “continued inaction of western governments” over Israeli breaches of international law. “It has been months since meaningful humanitarian aid entered Gaza, with Palestinians in Gaza now at risk of imminent starvation and death,” she said.
Here are sections of our media release responding to reports the Gaza Freedom Flotilla has been intercepted and boarded by Israeli forces.
Sarah Schwartz, Executive Officer of the Jewish Council, said:
‘The Jewish Council holds grave concerns for the activists on board the Gaza… pic.twitter.com/BEf33TsJjD
— Jewish Council of Australia (@jewishcouncilAU) June 9, 2025
Social media users push back against Israel’s ‘selfie yacht’ jab
Social media users are sharing photographs of Israeli soldiers taking selfies in Gaza in response to the Foreign Ministry calling the Madleen the “selfie yacht”.
In one post on X, Assal Rad, a fellow at the rights group DAWN, wrote “selfie yacht” next to a photograph of Israeli soldiers posing in front of destroyed buildings in Gaza.
Mitchell Plitnick, the president of NGO ReThinking Foreign Policy, also shared photographs of Israeli soldiers in Gaza, saying: “The Israeli government calls the humanitarian flotilla, the Madleen ‘the selfie yacht’. So what do we call the Israeli army?”
Israeli soldiers have continued to share photographs and videos of themselves making fun of Palestinians in Gaza since invading the Strip in late 2023.
