On the morning of June 1, 2025, a small ship quietly left the port of Catania, Italy.
Its name: Madleen, named after Gaza’s first fisherwoman, who took over her father’s trade after he was injured in a 2009 Israeli attack. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition says the vessel represents Palestinian resilience and global opposition to Israel’s collective punishment and starvation tactics.
Its purpose is to deliver essential humanitarian aid to Gaza, under one of the most severe blockades in modern history.
On board were twelve people, climate activist Greta Thunberg, French-Palestinian Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan, and human rights defenders from various countries.
Madleen sailed three months after Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza. Since March 2, no aid has been allowed to enter the Strip. The resulting famine has already claimed the lives of children. Today, more than 90 percent of Gaza’s population, estimated at 1.95 million people, faces acute food insecurity.
But surveillance began early. On June 4, as Madleen sailed 68 kilometres off Greek waters, a Heron drone hovered over the ship. It was later identified as belonging to the Hellenic Coast Guard.
Just a month earlier, in May, another Freedom Flotilla Coalition vessel, Conscience, had been bombed by Israeli drones off the coast of Malta. The attack had left the ship badly damaged and its engine on fire.
Since then, Madleen’s voyage was monitored in real time, with live tracking provided by Forensic Architecture and onboard satellite systems.
On June 6, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant ordered the military to stop the Madleen from reaching Gaza.
“The State of Israel will not allow anyone to violate the naval blockade on Gaza,” Gallant said in a statement. Addressing the activists, he warned: “You should turn back because you will not reach Gaza,” and described them as “anti-Semitic.”
On June 7, the ship reached Egyptian waters. “We are now sailing off the Egyptian coast,” reported German human rights activist Yasemin Acar. Live tracking showed Madleen north of Rosetta, nearing the besieged Gaza Strip.
In the early hours of June 8, as Madleen approached within 100 miles of Gaza, the expected interception came. Israeli naval forces seized the ship in international waters and forced it toward Ashdod port. Moments before the boarding, the crew, wearing life vests and with their hands raised, were ordered to throw their phones into the sea.
Contact was then lost. Activists confirmed that communications with Madleen had been severed. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition reported the ship’s seizure, with the crew being transported to Israel and cargo being confiscated.
Sweden’s Foreign Ministry stated it would offer support to Greta Thunberg and other Swedish citizens on board. But this support remained vague. In Sweden, media responses varied. Left-leaning outlets described the incident as an act of “kidnapping,” while right-leaning newspapers treated it as a secondary story.
Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry took a much firmer stance, calling the seizure “a clear violation of international law” and labelling Israel’s actions those of a “terror state.”
Amnesty International’s Secretary-General Agnes Callamard also condemned the interception, calling it illegal under international law. “There is an ongoing genocide,” she stated. “Military occupation. Apartheid. Palestinians are being starved. Aid workers are targeted. Humanitarian assistance is deliberately blocked.”
The interception of the Madleen is not the first in Israel’s history. Let’s look at other aid ships that Israel intercepted.
Two wooden boats from the Free Gaza Movement reached Gaza port — first foreign vessels in 41 years, delivering medical aid.
Fifteen years ago, Israeli forces stormed the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish ship leading the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla. In the early hours of May 31, 2010, commandos boarded the vessel in international waters, opening fire on activists attempting to break the blockade. Ten were killed, 56 injured, and the attack drew international outrage and calls for a UN investigation, demands Israel ultimately rejected.
Intercepted by Israeli navy 100 nautical miles from Gaza; ship seized without reaching the coast.
Hit by drone attack en route to Gaza; damaged near Malta where activists including Greta Thunberg were preparing to board.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate.
In recent days, Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire at aid distribution points. In Rafah, eight civilians were killed near one such site. In Khan Younis, drone strikes on tent camps killed seven people. The bombardment of Jabalia has triggered new waves of displacement.
In the occupied West Bank, raids continue. In the town of ar-Ram, one person was shot and wounded. Near Ramallah and Jericho, at least five people were detained.
According to United Nations data, 1.95 million people in Gaza now face acute food shortages. The risk of mass starvation is growing.
Since October 7, 2023, the death toll in Gaza has exceeded 54,000.
Security Policy Expert Burak Yıldırım talked about the Madleen ship and Israeli policies to Scrolli. He said, “Israel’s arguments on this issue are based entirely on security concerns. They claim that ships not passing through Israeli control or receiving approval from the authorities, especially Hamas and Islamic Jihad, can carry weapons and ammunition, regardless of their declared purpose.”
Yıldırım reminded of Blue Marmara, and “To support this claim, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in the 2011 Mavi Marmara report that ‘weapon-like materials’ had been detected. Israel has blockaded Gaza since 2007; however, the strongest justification for the blockade, Hamas’s rocket attacks, began in 2009. Israel is interpreting UN Security Council Resolution 1860 unilaterally, ignoring the resolution's other components” he said.
He talked about the main visible goal of this blockade, and highlighted that “The destruction of all methods of resistance in Gaza. Regardless of Hamas's or its counterparts' actions, Israel does not want a Palestinian state to exist and aims to thin the Palestinian population in the region. Ultimately, Israel's blockade is a form of collective punishment that does not discriminate between the guilty and the innocent, and it cannot be justified under any legal framework.”
Referring to Israel's efforts to whitewash itself, Yıldırım said: “Israel is trying to justify its actions and attacks by citing Article 51 of the UN Charter and the San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea. Article 51 is cited as justification for Israel's right to self-defense, and the San Remo Guide is cited as justification for controlling the cargo of neutral ships in the event of war and mobilization.”
Yıldırım also spoke about counter arguments, “However, Israel ignores the fact that these rights are established under certain conditions. Since no piracy has been observed, it cannot assume universal jurisdiction and intervene in these ships. The excessive use of force and abuse of authority is evident, and the UN Human Rights Council has accused Israel of this. On the other hand, none of the conditions of the law of war and mobilization allow for the prevention of civilians' basic needs. Providing for the basic needs of prisoners, let alone civilians, is a condition of international law. In this context, Israeli arguments are not widely accepted” he said.
“Israel’s actions are a powerful reason for the global disruption of civilian and humanitarian aid activities. Those who accept Israel’s actions and attacks as precedents may cause similar rights violations in many other regions in the future. The criminalization of activists and humanitarian aid workers as supporters of terrorism is a widespread manipulation tactic. These actions violate all interpretations of the law of war, and Israel is turning the issue of humanitarian aid into a political bargaining tool. Issues that should never be negotiated are being used as leverage, and Israel presents these to its interlocutors as gains. Legal processes are underway in the UN and international courts (ICC) to prevent such interventions, but political obstacles are preventing any progress” he concluded.
