The Freedom Flotilla vessel was intercepted before it reached the Palestinian enclave
Israeli naval forces have intercepted and detained the crew of the Gaza-bound civilian boat Madleen, which was attempting to deliver humanitarian aid. The vessel – dubbed a “selfie yacht” by Tel Aviv – carried climate activist Greta Thunberg, French MEP Rima Hassan and Irish actor Liam Cunningham, among others.
Operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), the boat was intercepted early Monday in international waters and is now being towed to the Israeli port of Ashdod. Israel’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the detention, stating that the group was “expected to return to their home countries.”
“All the passengers of the ‘selfie yacht’ are safe and unharmed. They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over,” the Foreign Ministry posted on X.
All the passengers of the ‘selfie yacht’ are safe and unharmed. They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over. pic.twitter.com/tLZZYcspJO
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) June 9, 2025
UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine, Francesca Albanese, said she was on the phone with the captain when the Israeli military intervened.
“At the time the boat was intercepted, no one was wounded,” she wrote on X. “I heard the soldiers speaking while the captain was on the phone with me. I lost connection with the captain as he was telling me that ‘another boat is approaching.’”
Before the interception, the group claimed they were “under assault” by Israeli drones and quadcopters spraying a chemical-like substance. In a livestream video posted by the FFC, activist Yasmin Acar showed a white substance covering the deck. “It’s affecting my eyes,” she said, before the stream was cut.
The group later posted a photo showing crew members in lifejackets with their hands raised. It also eleased several pre-recorded appeals from participants. “SOS! The volunteers on Madleen have been kidnapped by Israeli forces,” each of t messages claimed, urging the public to “pressure foreign ministries and help us keep them safe.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz had previously vowed to “take all necessary measures” to prevent the boat from reaching Gaza.
“To the antisemitic Greta and her fellow Hamas propaganda spokespeople, I say clearly: you should turn back,” he wrote on X on Sunday. “Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade – at sea, in the air, and on land.”
Thunberg said she joined the mission “because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity,” adding that the voyage was risky but necessary. According to the FFC, the passengers included activists from Germany, France, Brazil, Turkey, Sweden, Spain, and the Netherlands.
The Madleen carried a symbolic cargo of baby formula and rice. It is the latest in a series of flotillas aiming to challenge Israel’s blockade, which was imposed in 2007.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry called the voyage a “media provocation” and insisted that aid should be delivered through “legitimate channels,” not by “Instagram selfies.” The ministry added that “the tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the ‘celebrities’ will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels.”
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