Updated on June 8 at 9:35 pm EST
The Madleen, a sailboat that was trying to break Israel’s starvation blockade on Gaza, has been boarded by Israeli forces, and the 12 activists onboard have been detained, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), the group behind the humanitarian effort.
“Connection has been lost on the ‘Madleen’. Israeli army have boarded the vessel,” the FFC wrote on Telegram.
Francesca Albanese, a UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, was in touch with the crew before they lost communications and said that the boat was being circled by Israeli speedboats and quadcopter drones that dropped a white paint-like substance on the Madleen.
“The Madleen is currently under assault in international waters. Quadcopters are surrounding the ship, spraying it with a white irritant substance. Communications are jammed, and disturbing sounds are being played over the radio,” the FFC said before the boarding.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry released a statement that said the activists on the boat would return to their homes. “The ‘selfie yacht’ of the ‘celebrities’ is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries,” the ministry wrote on X.
Earlier in the day, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the IDF to intercept the Madleen. The boat was carrying 12 civilian activists who are traveling unarmed, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who Katz labeled “antisemitic” due to her opposition to Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
“I have instructed the IDF to act to ensure that the hate flotilla ‘Madleen’ does not reach the shores of Gaza—and to take all necessary measures to achieve this,” Katz wrote on X.
“To the antisemitic Greta and her friends, propagators of Hamas propaganda, I say clearly: You’d better turn back—because you won’t reach Gaza. Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade or assist terrorist organizations—by sea, air, or land,” Katz added.
A senior Israeli official told Israel’s Channel 12 that if the boat doesn’t turn around, it would be boarded by Israeli Navy commandos and brought to the port of Ashdod.
“We are surrounding Gaza from every direction in order to strangle Hamas and not enable [Gaza] to get any aid from any factor that is not overseen by Israel. If we allow one flotilla to enter, masses will follow, and this provocation will create a wave of flotillas that are hostile to Israel. We will not let this happen,” the official said.
Back in 2010, Israeli commandos raided six Freedom Flotilla boats that were attempting to break the blockade on Gaza and killed 10 Turkish activists. Just last month, an Israeli drone hit a Freedom Flotilla boat, the Conscience, when it was off the coast of Malta.
Israel supporters in the US have suggested Israel should sink the Madleen, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). “Hope Greta and her friends can swim!” Graham said in a post on X.
