Seized Gaza aid ship arrives in Israel
The Israeli navy towed the Madleen aid vessel into the port of Ashdod as night fell on Monday.
Afterwards, the activists were expected to be held at a detention facility in the Israeli city of Ramle before being deported, according to Adalah, a legal rights group representing the activists.
Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent, is among the volunteers on board. She has been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies towards the Palestinians.
First video of the Madleen aid boat near the Ashdod port after the Israeli army took over the boat pic.twitter.com/pJY8KXcl0x
— Oren Ziv (@OrenZiv_) June 9, 2025
Madleen crew to be detained in isolation, then deported from Israel
It has taken many, many long hours. The Israeli navy took over the flotilla just after midnight and the docking of the boat only happened around sundown.
We know already that the Israeli government intends to deport the 12 activists. Among them is the famous Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, but also a French European parliamentarian who is of Palestinian descent.
The Israeli minister of national security intends to keep them detained in isolation as they are processed and deported from the country
Adalah, a prominent Palestinian-Israeli human rights and civil rights organisation, will be representing them.
The activists will be charged with entering Israel illegally. These activists had no intention to enter Israel, they wanted to reach the shores of Gaza – which are not part of Israel, they are apart of the occupied Palestinian territories.
But that is how they will be processed and they will be deported because of that.
They were kidnapped in international waters off the coast of Egypt...
