Israeli forces have seized the Madleen Aid Ship in international waters.
The Madleen ship, launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was close to 100 miles [160km] from Gaza when it was stopped.
The crew on board the Madleen said that four speedboats approached their ship just after 1am local time (22:00 GMT).
Two drones then approached the ship, reportedly spraying a white substance on the crew.
A video of the crew on board taken just before their communications were cut showed them sitting with their hands raised and following an order to throw their phones into the sea.
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Israeli authorities intercepted the Madleen, stating that the crew was being taken to the Israeli Port of Ashdod.
In a lengthy post on X, the ministry described the Freedom Flotilla ship as a “selfie yacht” and a “celebrities yacht” that is carrying “less than a single truckload of aid.”
The post accused “Greta and others” of attempting “to stage a media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain publicity.”
The ministry also claimed that humanitarian aid is already “delivered regularly and effectively via different channels and routes” in Gaza.
The ministry’s claims that aid is already being distributed in Gaza, come as at least 13 Palestinians were killed and more than 150 injured in the latest incidents of Israeli troops and American security contractors opening fire on aid seekers on Sunday.
The ministry warned that “the Gaza maritime zone remains an active conflict area” and claimed that it is “closed to unauthorised vessels under a legal naval blockade, consistent with international law.”
Meanwhile, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition posted prerecorded videos by nearly all of the people on board the Madleen.
The videos were prepared in case Israel intercepted the Gaza-bound boat. They call on supporters to speak up and pressure governments to act to release the activists and to end Israel’s war on Gaza.
The people include Baptiste Andre; a French activist and doctor who is expected to assist passengers or demonstrators injured in possible confrontations with Israeli forces, Greta Thunberg; Swedish climate activist internationally renowned for her environmental advocacy, Mark Van Rennes; activist and member of the Dutch Boat to Gaza, Pascal Maurieras; a French activist and sailor who was on board the Freedom ship, a previous Freedom Flotilla voyage, in 2018, Reva Viard A French activist known for her involvement in various humanitarian causes, Rima Hassan; a French Palestinian Member of the European Parliament representing the Green Party, Sergio Toribio; the Spanish activist and member of the Spanish Boat to Gaza is also a member of the marine conservation NGO Sea Shepherd.
Suayb Ordu; a Turkish activist, Thiago Avila; a Brazilian activist and coordinator of Freedom Flotilla Brazil as well as a member of the Steering Committee of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, Yanis Mhamdi; a French journalist, Yasemin Acar; a 37-year-old activist from Germany advocating for refugees and human rights, and against anti-Muslim racism and Omar Faiad; a Al Jazeera Mubasher journalist are also part of the Madleen crew.
UN Special Rapporteur Calls For Madleen Crew’s Release
UN Special Rapporteur, Francesca Albanese disclosed that she 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. Every Mediterranean port should send boats with aid, solidarity, and humanity to Gaza. They shall sail together—united, they will be unstoppable.”
Francesca Albanese
Also, Hamas issued a statement slamming Israel’s takeover of the Gaza-bound humanitarian aid ship, whose seizure it said amounts to “organised state terrorism.” It said, “We salute the brave activists from various nationalities who stood firm in the face of threats and reaffirmed that Gaza is not alone.”
Hamas said that 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.
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