Israeli Forces Kidnap Activists from Aid Ship Bound for Gaza

Israeli forces has kidnapped activists aboard the Gaza-bound aid ship Madleen on Sunday night, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said as reported by Anadolu on Monday, June 9, 2025. Live footage earlier showed Israeli vessels surrounding the vessel, with soldiers ordering activists on board to raise their hands.

“SOS! The volunteers on the ‘Madleen’ have been kidnapped by Israeli forces,” the international NGO that organized the mission said on Telegram.

UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine Francesca Albanese, who contacted the ship’s captain by phone, said: “At the time the ship was intercepted, no one was injured — the captain asked me to record.”

She reported hearing Israeli soldiers talking in the background before the connection was cut off.

“I lost connection with the captain when he told me that another ship was approaching,” she added.

The charity ship was trying to reach the Gaza Strip in defiance of Israel’s naval blockade. The British-flagged cruise ship Madleen, operated by the FFC, had set off from Sicily on June 6 and was hoping to reach Gaza later in the day when it was intercepted, the group said on its Telegram account.

Among the 12 crew members on board were Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament.

The Israeli military has not commented.

Shortly before the FFC statement, the Israeli Foreign Ministry posted a video on X showing the Israeli Navy communicating with the Madleen via loudspeaker, urging it to change course.

“The maritime zone off the coast of Gaza is closed to naval traffic as part of the legitimate naval blockade,” a soldier said. “If you want to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, you can do so through the (Israeli) port of Ashdod.”

The ship was carrying a range of supplies desperately needed by Gazans, including infant formula, flour, rice, diapers, feminine hygiene products, water desalination equipment, medical supplies, crutches and children’s prosthetics, according to its organizers.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the military on Sunday to prevent Madleen from reaching Gaza, calling the mission a propaganda effort to support Hamas.

Israel imposed a naval blockade on the coastal enclave after Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007.

The blockade has remained in place throughout several conflicts, including the current war, which began after a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that killed more than 1,200 people, according to an Israeli tally.

Gaza’s health ministry says more than 54,880 Palestinians have been killed since the start of Israel’s genocide. The United Nations has warned that many of Gaza’s more than 2 million residents face starvation due to the brutal blockade that began March 2.

Editor's Choice: Over 130 Media Organizations Urge Opening of Gaza Strip for Foreign Journalists

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News

Iran Claims to Hold Classified Israeli Nuclear Documents

11 jam lalu

Over 130 Media Organizations Urge Opening of Gaza Strip for Foreign Journalists

1 hari lalu

80,000 Palestinians Gather for Eid al-Adha Prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque

2 hari lalu

Eid al-Adha in Gaza: No Meat, No Joy, Only Survival Under Israeli Blockade

2 hari lalu

Leaked EU Document Alleges Israeli War Crimes in Gaza

2 hari lalu

Japanese Envoy to Indonesia Calls Gaza Crisis 'Very Bad,' Supports Two-State Solution

2 hari lalu

Indonesia Laments UN's Inability to Secure Gaza Ceasefire

3 hari lalu

MER-C Accuses Israel of Planting Bombs Around Gaza's Indonesian Hospital

4 hari lalu

UN Condemns Deadly Israeli Strike on Gaza Aid Site

4 hari lalu

Israel Restricts Access to Humanitarian Aid Sites for Gazans

4 hari lalu