Israeli MFA shares video of detained crew

We’re choosing not to share the post, which shows the Madleen’s crew on a speed boat wearing life vests and again describes the ship as a “selfie yacht”.

“The Israeli Foreign Ministry would be wise to stop posting videos accompanied by insults,” said Adil Haque, a law professor at Rutgers University and the executive editor of Just Security.

“Outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment, are a war crime,” Haque added, in a post on X.

“The vessel was registered in the United Kingdom,” he said, noting that the UK is a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), meaning that its laws apply.

Moments before Israeli forces abduct activists

Footage shared by Al Jazeera, including video from reporter Omar Faiad and onboard security cameras, shows the final moments before Israeli forces detained activists aboard the Madleen, part of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. The video captures Israeli forces shouting commands as they prepare to board, while activists sit with their hands raised in a clear show of non-violence.

Who are the activists Israel detained from the Madleen?

Here’s a reminder of the people on board the Madleen, who have been taken from international waters by Israeli commandos. They are being taken to the port of Ashdod by Israeli authorities.

The Art of Starvation: Israeli Settlers Make It a Festival

Israeli settlers are blocking life-saving humanitarian aid from entering Gaza—celebrating, picnicking, and praying while Palestinians starve just miles away. With full support from the Israeli military, these actions are part protest, part siege, and fully normalized. This report embeds with the people turning border crossings into stages for cruelty.

THIS Is How The Israeli Government Controls Us

Former Biden admin spokesperson Vedant Patel has taken a job at SKDK, a Democratic consulting firm that is also a registered foreign agent for Israel.

"Vedant Patel, who spent much of the Biden administration defending Israel’s military actions in Gaza as a State Department spokesperson, has landed a new job: senior vice president at SKDK, a Democratic consulting firm that is also a registered foreign agent for Israel. During his time at the State Department, Patel effectively served as a public defender of Israeli policy as the administration stood firmly behind Israel despite mounting casualties and global condemnation. Now, at SKDK, he joins a company explicitly hired to do the same, conducting press outreach and protecting Israel’s image, only this time on Israel’s payroll."

Silence from governments ‘beyond words’

Mouin Rabbani, a non-resident fellow at the Qatar-based Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies, says the “absolute silence” from the Madleen crew members’ governments reflects Israeli impunity.

“If any other state had sent its military forces to seize a small civilian boat carrying 12 unarmed civilians to deliver food, baby formula and crutches to a besieged population, it would immediately be recognised for the act of state piracy that it indisputably is,” Rabbani told Al Jazeera.

“But for Israel, there’s always an exception.”

“This is not only an act of state piracy. It’s in direct violation of the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ),” Rabbani added, noting that the court has emphasised “the need for the unhindered delivery of humanitarian supplies to the besieged population of the Gaza Strip.”

Madleen crew ‘must be released immediately’

Here’s more from UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese, who was on the phone with the Madleen crew when they were detained.

“Madleen must be released immediately,” she said in a post on X.

“Breaking the siege is a legal duty for states, and a moral imperative for all of us,” Albanese added. “Every Mediterranean port should send boats with aid, solidarity, and humanity to Gaza. They shall sail together—united, they will be unstoppable.”

While #Madleen must be released immediately, every Mediterranean port should send boats with aid, solidarity, and humanity to Gaza. They shall sail together—united, they will be unstoppable.#BreakingTheSiege is a legal duty for states, and a moral imperative for all of us. pic.twitter.com/FeaD1Fq4Dk

— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) June 9, 2025

Rima Hassan predicted the Madleen’s interception

Member of the European Parliament, Rima Hassan, also prerecorded a message to be shared in the event of her detention. In it, she echoed the message of her shipmates, calling on supporters to pressure her government to act on behalf of all the French crew members on board.

Hours before the Madleen was intercepted, Hassan had recorded another, more candid video, which she shared on X, formerly Twitter.

In that, she told supporters that she expected that the Madleen would be intercepted, that the people on board would lose their phones and other belongings, and that they would be handcuffed and taken to Ashdod, where, she said, they would be interrogated.

English Below

🔴 Il nous reste moins de 24heures avant de nous faire arrêter illégalement par les autorités israéliennes qui veulent nous empêcher d’atteindre la bande de Gaza.

Lorsque nous n’aurons plus la possibilité de communiquer avec vous, je compte sur vous pour… pic.twitter.com/zkMxndFqOr

— Rima Hassan (@RimaHas) June 8, 2025

Palestinian rights organisation calls Madleen crew to be released

Al-Haq has strongly condemned Israel’s “unlawful interception” of the Madleen in international waters, calling for the “immediate release of all those detained”.

“Israel has no legal authority to restrict access to Palestine, since such is within the exclusive right of the Palestinian people,” the Ramallah-based rights organisation said in a statement.

“Israel’s manufacture of famine as a tool of genocide, and its blockade of Gaza, is designed to isolate, fragment and destroy the Palestinian people.”

Australian senator says Israeli attack on Madleen ‘clear breach of international law’

David Shoebridge from the Australian Greens says, “The Israeli military attacking a boat full of unarmed activists bringing food and medicine to Gaza is a clear breach of international law.”

The attack “should be strongly condemned and have consequences”, Shoebridge added, before calling on the Australian government to “impose immediate sanctions on the Israeli arms industry and the Netanyahu Government”.

The Israeli military attacking a boat full of unarmed activists bringing food and medicine to Gaza is a clear breach of International Law that should be strongly condemned and have consequences #Madleen pic.twitter.com/mHlahKrAz4

— David Shoebridge (@DavidShoebridge) June 9, 2025

‘Madleen was sailing peacefully and lawfully in international waters’

Al Jazeera spoke to Freedom Flotilla organiser Huwaida Arraf shortly after she and the rest of the ship’s support crew lost contact with the Madleen.

“All those on board have been abducted. They have been taken against their will while they were sailing peacefully and lawfully in international waters,” said Arraf. “They were in international waters, sailing towards Palestinian territorial waters, not getting near Israeli waters,” she added.

“It needs to be made very clear that Israel has absolutely no jurisdiction, no lawful authority, to take over this vessel.”

Hamas calls Madleen seizure ‘state terrorism’

The group has issued a statement slamming Israel’s takeover of the Gaza-bound humanitarian aid ship, whose seizure it said amounts to “organised state terrorism”. “We salute the brave activists from various nationalities who stood firm in the face of threats and reaffirmed that Gaza is not alone,” it said.

Hamas said the Madleen convoy and other Gaza-bound humanitarian convoys from Algeria, Tunisia and Jordan are “living testimony to the failure” of Israel’s “propaganda machine”. It also urged for the activists’ release and for the United Nations to condemn the seizure.

“The seizure of the Madleen will not silence the voice of the free, nor will it stop the growing global solidarity with Gaza,” Hamas said.

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.

Solidarity is not a crime’, says left-wing European Parliament group

A left-wing political group in the European Parliament has denounced Israel’s seizure of the Madleen as a “blatant violation of international law”.

“This interception, carried out outside Israeli territorial waters, constitutes a blatant violation of international law, including maritime and humanitarian law,” said The Left in the European Parliament, with 46 members.

“The arrest of the crew members and the confiscation of aid intended for a population in immediate humanitarian distress is unacceptable, and is clearly part of a wider strategy to starve and massacre Palestinians in Gaza while hiding Israeli war crimes from the world,” it added.

It urged “the European Union, the United Nations, and the entire international community to strongly condemn this illegal detention, demand the immediate and unconditional release of all crew members, and urge Israeli authorities to allow immediate and unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza”.

“Solidarity is not a crime, genocide is,” it added. “Free the Freedom Flotilla crew.”


Amnesty chief accuses Israel of violating international law

Agnes Callamard, secretary-general of Amnesty International, has condemned Israel’s interception of the Madleen, asserting that it “violates international law”.

“As the occupying power (as recognised by the ICJ), Israel has a legal obligation to ensure civilians in Gaza have sufficient food and medicine. They should have let Madleen deliver its humanitarian supplies to Gaza,” she posted on X.

Callamard also appealed to other nations to do “far more than they have done to this date”.

“There is an on-going genocide. Military occupation. Apartheid. Palestinians in Gaza are starved. Humanitarian workers are targeted. Humanitarian aid is blocked,” she added.

#Madleen, launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), was seeking to bring humanitarian aid in an attempt to breach Israel’s illegal blockade of the occupied Gaza Strip. It was carrying unarmed civilians on a humanitarian mission.

Israel interception of Madleen violates… pic.twitter.com/h5QvMeYVqk

— Agnes Callamard (@AgnesCallamard) June 9, 2025

Turkiye joins outcry over Madleen seizure

Turkiye’s Foreign Ministry has spoken out against Israel’s interception of the Gaza-bound aid ship. In a statement, the ministry called the move a “clear violation of international law” that “once again demonstrates that Israel is acting as a terror state”.

“Israel’s aggressive and unlawful actions will not silence the voices that stand up for human dignity and universal values,” it said.

What’s happening in Gaza?

Amid Israel’s seizure of the Madleen ship, deadly attacks have continued in Gaza. Here are the latest updates from the enclave:

Swedish government offers vague support for Madleen activists

There has been a little bit of reaction from the Swedish government. The foreign department has said that [Greta] Thunberg and any other Swedish citizens on the ship will be offered support if they need it.

But it’s kind of vague what that is. At the moment, the reaction in Sweden kind of depends on which side of the spectrum, left to right. You look in the more left-leaning papers, it’s the top story, and the headline is that they’ve been imprisoned and kidnapped. In some of the other newspapers, it’s maybe the number two or three story.

Swedish activist accuses his country of being ‘complicit’ in Israel’s actions

Activist Andrew Arendt Wegerif has condemned the seizure of the Madleen ship and criticised the Swedish government for failing to denounce the Israeli move.

“What happened is outrageous,” Wegerif, a member of Ship to Gaza Sweden – an organisation aiming to break Israel’s blockade of the enclave – told Al Jazeera. “Israel has once again broken international law and boarded a civilian vessel in international waters.”

He accused the Swedish government and other Western powers of being “complicit” in Israel’s actions and urged Stockholm to speak out in support of Swedish citizen Greta Thunberg, who was among the onboard activists.

Wegerif expressed hope that the Madleen’s voyage would raise awareness about “war crimes” taking place in Gaza, as well as inspire other people to follow the Madleen’s example.

“Our governments have been terribly complicit and so weak in their reaction … and therefore people have to take action themselves,” he said.

Spain summons Israeli diplomat over interception of Madleen ship

The Spanish newspaper El Pais and our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic, quoting a source at Spain’s Foreign Ministry, are reporting that Israel’s charge d’affaires to the Iberian country has been summoned to protest against Israel’s interception of the Madleen ship.

Israel preparing to hold Madleen activists in separate cells in Givon Prison: Report

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has instructed prison authorities to prepare separate cells for the activists from the Madleen ship at Givon Prison in Ramla, where they will be held before being deported, according to Israel Hayom.

Upon arrival in Ashdod, the activists will be escorted to the prison in vehicles with tinted windows to minimise public attention, media reports said.

Ben-Gvir has also directed prison officials to prohibit the activists from possessing any pro-Palestinian symbols during their detention and to deny them access to electronics such as televisions and radios in their cells, according to the report.

Madleen activists ‘detainees, not prisoners’: Human rights lawyer

We have reported earlier that Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir seeks to hold the Madleen activists in separate cells at a prison in Israel.

Addressing other reports claiming that the activists would be wearing uniforms, human rights lawyer Sara Bashi said it would be “very unusual for the Israeli government to issue prison uniforms to people who are not prisoners”.

“They’re detainees … not prisoners,” she told Al Jazeera. “In the past, people who have entered Israel and been refused entry have been deported in their regular clothing. So, I’m not sure what that intention is.”

Asked about reports that Israel will force activists to watch videos of the October 2023 Hamas attacks, she said this is “part of what is so heartbreaking about what’s going on now”.

“Hamas-led fighters violated a core principle of international humanitarian law by targeting Israeli civilians. That was wrong, and the answer cannot be for the Israeli military to then target Palestinian civilians in Gaza, as it has done,” she added.

 
Sweden: Madleen activists not in danger, no need for support

Sweden’s Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard has addressed the status of Swedish national Greta Thunberg and the 11 other activists illegally taken into Israeli custody.

In comments carried by Swedish media, Stenergard emphasised that Sweden’s government has long advised against travel to Gaza and the activists bear “clear personal responsibility”.

The government’s current assessment is that the activists are not in danger and there is no need for consular support, she added.

Activist Thunberg recorded a video before her capture. “I am from Sweden. If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces … I ask all my friends, family, and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible,” she said.

That makes it clear what side of history Sweden is on.

Gaza aid ship ‘a powerful symbol’ of urgent action needed: Ireland

The Irish foreign minister has praised the Madleen, the Gaza-bound aid ship intercepted by Israel, but says it’s a “shame” on the world that Palestinians are starving in Gaza.

“The Madleen was an effort to get food and medicine to the starving people of Gaza; an unarmed civilian effort in the midst of devastation and catastrophic humanitarian conditions,” Simon Harris said in a statement.

Praising the effort, Harris noted it’s “a powerful symbol” of immediate action required to end Israel’s months-long blockade on all humanitarian aid.

“What the flotilla has highlighted is the urgent need for humanitarian aid to get into Gaza,” he said, adding that the ship’s seizure is yet another attempt by Israeli authorities to prevent aid from entering the devastated territory.

UN calls for unrestricted flow of aid to alleviate Gaza’s humanitarian crisis

Responding to a question about the Madleen’s impact in addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Olga Cherevko, a spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), says there has to be a “meaningful lifting of the blockade”.

“What is happening right now is a very limited number of aid shipments being allowed in [by Israel], and this aid is woefully insignificant compared to the people’s needs on the ground,” she told Al Jazeera from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.

Cherevko stressed that only comprehensive changes would improve conditions for Gaza’s population.

“The only way to address these needs and to alleviate the suffering of the people is through an unencumbered, unfettered and unrestricted flow of aid into Gaza and also an enabling environment for us to be able to pick up these supplies, to deliver them to the distribution points, to deliver them directly to families and really empower the society to rebuild their lives in some way,” she added.

Death toll in Gaza rises to 44 since dawn

Medical sources in hospitals across Gaza tell Al Jazeera at least 44 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since this morning.

At least 14 Palestinians were killed near an Israel-and-US-backed aid distribution site in Rafah in southern Gaza.

It’s the latest mass shooting of starving aid-seekers by Israeli forces since the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began its widely criticized operation on May 27.