{"id":75,"date":"2025-06-10T14:51:08","date_gmt":"2025-06-10T14:51:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yachtersworld.com\/?p=75"},"modified":"2025-06-10T14:51:08","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T14:51:08","slug":"gaza-freedom-flotilla-latest-greta-thunberg-and-crew-of-yacht-madleen-detained-by-israeli-forces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yachtersworld.com\/?p=75","title":{"rendered":"Gaza Freedom Flotilla latest: Greta Thunberg and crew of yacht Madleen detained by Israeli forces"},"content":{"rendered":"

The UK-flagged sailing yacht Madleen and her twelve person crew, among them activist Greta Thunberg, have been seized with some detained by Israeli armed forces<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Update 10 June 2025 15:00 BST:<\/strong> Following its interception by Israeli forces on 9 June 2025, the Madleen<\/em> was docked in the port of Ashdod Monday evening. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) had been out of contact with the twelve members of the crew for 19 hours.<\/p>\n

The Israeli Foreign Ministry (IFM) posted two photos of members of the Madleen<\/em>\u2019s crew, stating on their official X account<\/a> that \u201cThe \u2018Selfie Yacht\u2019 docked at Ashdod Port a short while ago\u201d, and that passengers were undergoing medical examinations.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday morning 10 June 2025, Swedish activist Greta Thunberg departed a Tel Aviv airport on a flight to Sweden via France.<\/p>\n

On arrival at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, Thunberg accused Israel of \u201ckidnapping us in international waters\u201d in her comments to reporters. She added that her experience of detention and deportation was \u201cnothing compared to what the Palestinians are going through,\u201d but that it represented \u201cyet another intentional violation of rights\u201d by the Israeli state.<\/p>\n

Another three members of the <\/span>Madleen\u2019s <\/span><\/i>crew <\/span>have since been deported, while the 8 remaining activists from Madleen<\/em>\u2019s crew have refused deportation. Among them are the Madleen\u2019s Skipper Riva Viard and Rima Hassan, a French MEP of Palestinian origin.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose who refuse to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial authority,\u201d the official IFM account wrote on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The FFC says that they expect members who do not agree to leave immediately to be moved to the Givon detention facility for \u2018illegal residents\u2019 in Ramleh. They will be held for 96 hours, after which they can be deported with or without their consent.<\/p>\n

In an update from Freedom Flotilla, Press Officer Hay Sea Wi\u00ffa writes that \u201cIsrael is handling the custody of all 12 as though they had entered illegally\u2013 even though they were forcibly abducted from international waters and brought into Israel against their will.\u201d<\/p>\n

Report from Monday 9 June 2025:<\/h2>\n

Sailing yacht Madleen<\/em> was on its way to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip when it was intercepted by Israeli forces on 9 June 2025, just after 05:30 local time (03:30 BST).<\/p>\n

At the time of its seizure, the vessel was sailing lawfully in international waters 110 nautical miles from Gaza. It was heading towards Palestinian territorial waters under a British flag.<\/p>\n

Where is the Madleen<\/em>?<\/h2>\n

At present, the Madleen<\/em>\u2019s exact location and expected docking time are still unknown. No contact has been possible with her crew since their detainment, and updates have ceased on her live tracker.<\/a><\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s defence minister Israel Katz said both the Madleen\u00a0<\/em>and its crew would be taken to the Israeli port city of Ashdod, around 27km north of the Gaza Strip. Upon their arrival in Ashdod, Katz has instructed that Madleen<\/em>\u2019s crew be shown footage from the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023. Since then, Israel\u2019s response has been widely denounced as a genocide.<\/p>\n

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The ship, registered as Barcarole<\/em>, was renamed Madleen<\/em> by its crew in honour of Madleen Kulab, Gaza\u2019s first and only known fisherwoman. Photo: Getty<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Madleen\u2019<\/em>s interception<\/h2>\n

Israeli military personnel boarded the vessel before it lost signal. Moments before, drones had dropped an unidentified white, paint-like chemical substance on board.<\/p>\n

In a video clip from onboard one of the crew comments, \u201cWe are using the Palestine flag to protect us,\u201d before telling the camera, \u201cIt\u2019s burning my eyes, this thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Further video footage since released by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition shows the crew cooperating with Israeli forces, with no physical confrontation occuring between the two parties.<\/p>\n

In the video<\/a>, Brazilian activist Thiago \u00c1vila can be heard saying into a phone, \u201cIt\u2019s very important you know, no one is wounded now. No one was wounded when they boarded our boat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still an unnamed woman says, off camera, \u201cIf anything happens to us, this is yet another war crime.\u201d<\/p>\n

On their official social channels, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition has previously stated<\/a> that, \u2018Any attack or interference with the Madleen<\/em> would constitute a violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), an affront to UK sovereignty, and a breach of international humanitarian law.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Photo: Getty<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Greta Thunberg and the Madleen<\/em>\u2018s crew<\/h2>\n

The 12 members of Madleen<\/em>\u2019s crew are: Skipper Reva Viard, Greta Thunberg, Rima Hassan, Yasemin Acar, Thiago Avila, Yanis Mhamdi, Omar Faiad, Sergio Toribio, Baptiste Andre, Suayb Ordu, Mark van Rennes, Pascal Maurieras.<\/p>\n

In the hours since the vessel\u2019s seizure, the GFF has released pre-recorded videos of many of these Pro-Palestinian activists urging action in case of their detainment.<\/p>\n

In one of these widely circulated clips<\/a>, Greta Thunberg dons a Keffiyeh (a head dress traditionally worn in the Middle East and a symbol of Palestinian solidarity), stating:<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you see this video we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli Occupational Forces, or forces that support Israel. I urge all my friends, family, and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

The video was followed by similar clips of the rest of the crew appealing to citizens of their respective countries of origin, which include Brazil, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Turkey.<\/p>\n

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Photo: Getty<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Gaza Freedom Flotilla<\/h2>\n

Formed in 2010, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition says it works with \u2018civil society partners\u2019, rather than any party, faction or government.<\/p>\n

The flotilla was aiming to break an Israeli-imposed sea blockade that has surrounded Gaza since 2007 by sailing through it. The Madleen<\/em>\u2019s journey was organised and undertaken in full compliance with international, maritime, and humanitarian law.<\/p>\n

The Barcarole\/Madleen<\/i> is an 18 metre schooner built by Van Dam Nordia in 1974. It was motoring at the time of its interception.<\/p>\n

When it set off from the Italian port of Catania, Sicily, on June 1st, Madleen<\/em> carried an unarmed crew and a small quantity \u2013 which the campaigners defined as a symbolic amount, less than a lorry load \u2013 of humanitarian aid, including items such as rice, medical supplies, and baby formula.<\/p>\n

Israel denounced the small amount of aid carried onboard. In a press conference today Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said: \u201cOn the subject of aid, the yacht had a meagre cargo but of course it will be sent into Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added:\u00a0\u201cWhen it comes to this flotilla, it wasn\u2019t a flotilla, it was a selfie yacht. It was Instagram activism.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sailing activism<\/h2>\n

In a previous incident in May 2010, a Turkish-owned aid vessel, the Mavi Marmara<\/em> was seized by Israeli forces, who killed 10 passengers on board and left another 30 wounded.\u00a0Mavi Marmara <\/em>was part of a six-ship aid flotilla also attempting to breach the naval blockade of Gaza, carrying 10,000 tonnes of goods, including school supplies, building materials and two large electricity generators.<\/p>\n

Environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg has previously twice sailed across the Atlantic<\/a> as part of her activism.<\/p>\n

In 2019 she sailed to New York aboard the IMOCA 60<\/a> Malizia<\/em> with Vend\u00e9e Globe<\/a> skipper Boris Herrmann<\/a> in order to attend the UN Climate Action Summit without air travel. She then made the return passage back to Europe aboard the catamaran La Vagabonde<\/em><\/a> with crew including Nikki Henderson (a major Yachting World feature<\/a>).<\/p>\n

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Photo: Getty<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Global Response to the Madleen<\/em>\u2018s interception<\/h2>\n

In a statement<\/a>, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said, \u201cThis heinous act by the Netanyahu government, which threatens the freedom of navigation and maritime security, once again demonstrates that Israel is acting as a terror state.\u201d<\/p>\n

France is already working to ensure the swift return of French citizens that were onboard.<\/p>\n

In a recent post on X<\/a>, Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, urges the UK government to \u201csecure the immediate release of the vessel and its crew.\u201d According to the BBC<\/a>, Downing Street has stated that it hopes to resolve the question, \u201csafely with restraint, in line with international humanitarian law\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery Mediterranean port,\u201d Albanese writes on X, \u201cshould send boats with aid, solidarity, and humanity to Gaza. They shall sail together \u2013 united, they will be unstoppable.\u201d<\/p>\n

On land, news of the incident has garnered support worldwide, with protests underway to oppose the seizure and detainment of Madleen<\/em> and her crew and the ongoing occupation of Gaza. To date, at least 54,880 people have been killed by the Israeli forces in Gaza since October 7, 2023, according to the territory\u2019s Hamas-run health ministry.<\/p>\n

Latest update<\/h2>\n

According to Israel\u2019s foreign ministry at around 1500 (BST), sailing yacht Madleen<\/em> is \u201csafely making its way to the shores of Israel\u201d.<\/p>\n

A group of pro-Palestinian activists in Ashdod are gathering for a demonstration before her arrival. The yacht\u2019s cargo will be sent to Gaza, while the members of her crew are expected to be deported to their home countries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The post Gaza Freedom Flotilla latest: Greta Thunberg and crew of yacht Madleen detained by Israeli forces<\/a> appeared first on Yachting World<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The UK-flagged sailing yacht Madleen and her twelve person crew, among them activist Greta Thunberg, have been seized with some detained by Israeli armed forces Update 10 June 2025 15:00 BST: Following its interception by Israeli forces on 9 June 2025, the Madleen was docked in the port of Ashdod Monday evening. The Freedom Flotilla…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":76,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yachtersworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yachtersworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yachtersworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yachtersworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yachtersworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=75"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/yachtersworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yachtersworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/76"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yachtersworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=75"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yachtersworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=75"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yachtersworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=75"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}