Israel is taking its old Gaza model abroad
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Gaza activists’ aid boat with Greta Thunberg on board docks in Israel
Gaza activist boat carrying aid docks after being seized by Israel. The Madleen has been taken to the Port of Ashdod in Israel after being intercepted in the early hours of the morning. Israel called it a “media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain publicity” and said the crew were being taken “safely” to Israel where they would be deported.
Sofia Ferreira Santos and Ben Hatton
BBC News
Image source, ABIR SULTAN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Image caption, The boat arriving at the Israeli Port of Ashdod
The Madleen has been taken to the Port of Ashdod in Israel after being intercepted in the early hours of the morning.
The Israeli foreign ministry shared a picture of activist Greta Thunberg, who was aboard the vessel, in front of an Israeli flag. It also said she and the 11 other passengers were undergoing medical examinations.
We first heard the boat had been intercepted near the Egyptian coast just after 05:30 local time (03:30 BST).
The activist group Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which organised the journey, said it was seeking to defy the Israeli blockade and deliver aid to Gaza – and that the crew had been “kidnapped by Israeli forces”.
You can see video footage showing the moment the boat was intercepted here.
Image source, Reuters Image caption, The yacht, carrying 12 people, set off from Catania, Italy on 3 June
Israel called it a “media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain publicity” and said the crew were being taken “safely” to Israel where they would be deported.
The BBC’s international editor Jeremy Bowen writes that it was clear the boat was never going to reach Gaza and that its mission was designed to produce controversy and debate.
We’re bringing this live page to a close now, but you can read more in our news story here.
Seized Gaza aid boat Madleen carrying Greta Thunberg taken to Israeli port
Freedom Flotilla organisers say they have not had contact with the activists since they were ‘kidnapped’ by Israel on symbolic mission to Gaza. Israeli navy towed the Madleen aid boat into the port of Ashdod on Monday. The 12 international activists who were on board now facing detention and deportation. Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs portrayed the voyage as a public relations stunt, saying in a post on X that ‘the ‘selfie yacht’ of the ‘celebrities’ is safely making its way to the shores of Israel”. The UK government urged Israel to handle its detention of the activists “safely with restraint, in line with international humanitarian law” The PM has called it ‘appalling and intolerable,’ said a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The activists would be accused of entering Israel illegally, according to reports in Jordan. They were sailing under a United Kingdom flag when it was forcibly seized by Israeli commandos.
Israeli navy towed the Madleen aid boat into the port of Ashdod
A Gaza-bound aid boat illegally seized in international waters by Israeli forces has been towed into Ashdod Port, with the dozen international activists who were on board now facing detention and deportation.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which launched the ship to draw international attention to the looming famine in besieged Gaza, said it was captured at about 4:02am (01:02 GMT) on Monday, about 200km (120 miles) from Gaza, arriving at Ashdod as night fell.
Earlier, the coalition released a video from the vessel, which left Sicily on June 1, showing the activists – among whom are climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and French member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan – with their hands up as Israeli forces boarded the vessel and “kidnapped” them.
Adalah, a Palestinian legal centre representing the activists, said they were expected to be held at a detention facility before being deported.
It said that Israel had “no legal authority” to take over the ship, which was in international waters, heading not to Israel but to the “territorial waters of the State of Palestine”.
The arrests of the 12 “unarmed activists” amounted to “a serious breach of international law”, it said in a statement.
Huwaida Arraf, an FFC organiser, told Al Jazeera there had been no contact with the activists since they had been detained in the early hours of Monday.
“We have lawyers on standby who are going to demand they have access to them tonight – as soon as possible,” she said.
The Madleen, she noted, was sailing under a United Kingdom flag when it was forcibly seized by Israeli commandos.
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“So Israel went into international waters and attacked sovereign UK territory, which is blatantly unlawful. And we expect strong condemnation, which we have not yet heard from the United Kingdom,” she said.
The UK government urged Israel to handle its detention of the activists “safely with restraint, in line with international humanitarian law”.
“We have made clear our position in relation to the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The PM has called it appalling and intolerable,” said a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territory, said: “Israel has absolutely no authority to intercept and stop a boat like this, which carries humanitarian aid, and more than everything else, humanity, to the people of Gaza.”
Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh, reporting from Jordan’s capital Amman, said the activists would be accused of entering Israel illegally.
“These activists had no intention to enter Israel. They wanted to reach the shores of Gaza, which are not part of Israel,” she said.
“But that is how they will be processed, and they will be deported because of that.”
‘A form of piracy’
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs portrayed the voyage as a public relations stunt, saying in a post on X that “the ‘selfie yacht’ of the ‘celebrities’ is safely making its way to the shores of Israel”.
It said the passengers were “undergoing medical examinations to ensure they are in good health”, adding that all passengers were expected to return to their home countries.
Government spokesperson David Mencer reserved special scorn for 22-year-old Thunberg. “Greta was not bringing aid, she was bringing herself. And she’s not here for Gaza, let’s be blunt about it. She’s here for Greta,” he said.
In a prerecorded video message that was shared by the FFC, Thunberg said: “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.”
The Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs said it was in contact with Israeli authorities.
“Should the need for consular support arise, the Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will assess how we can best help the Swedish citizen/Greta Thunberg resolve her situation,” said a spokesperson in a written statement to the Reuters news agency.
United States President Donald Trump, who targeted Thunberg in 2019, dismissed her statement. “I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg,” he said.
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French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said the president had asked Israeli authorities to release the six French nationals on board as soon as possible, calling the humanitarian blockade of Gaza “a scandal” and a “disgrace”.
Turkey condemned the interception as a “heinous attack”, while Iran denounced it as “a form of piracy” in international waters.
Israeli Minister of Defence Israel Katz said the activists would be shown videos of atrocities committed during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel.
Hamas condemned the seizure of the boat as “state terrorism” and said it saluted its activists.
More killings at aid distribution point
On the ground in Gaza, Israeli forces continued their onslaught, killing 60 Palestinians since dawn, according to medical sources who spoke to Al Jazeera.
Among them were three medics, killed in Gaza City, as well as 13 hungry aid seekers, killed near an Israeli- and US-backed aid distribution site in southern Gaza.
More than 130 people have been killed near distribution points run by the shadowy Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) since late May.
Israel engaged the group to distribute aid amid its total blockade on all imports, including food, fuel and medicine, as Israel ramped up its offensive after breaking its ceasefire agreement with Hamas in March.
The United Nations and other aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF, accusing it of lacking neutrality and suggesting the group has been formed to enable Israel to achieve its stated military objective of taking over all of Gaza.
“Israeli authorities have blocked the delivery of safe and dignified aid at scale to the people of Gaza for over three months now,” said the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, on Monday.
“We are not asking for the impossible. Allow us to do our work: assist people in need and preserve their dignity,” it said.
On Monday, Israeli aircraft also bombed tents sheltering displaced families in al-Katiba square in Gaza City, causing additional deaths and injuries.
They also targeted the Shaarawi and Haddad buildings in the Tuffah neighbourhood, east of Gaza City, resulting in multiple casualties.
At least one person was killed and others injured in an artillery attack on Old Gaza Street in Jabalia, in the north.
Israel has killed at least 54,927 people in Gaza since the start of the war, a figure estimated to be far lower than the actual death toll.
Gaza aid boat activists to be shown 7 October attacks footage, says Israeli defence minister – as it happened
Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, has congratulated the Israeli army on the ‘quick and safe takeover’ of the Madleen, the Gaza-bound aid vessel. Katz added that he had instructed the IDF to ‘show the flotilla passengers the video of the horrors of the October 7 massacre’ The current war in Gaza began after a Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on 7 October 2023 that killed more than 1,200 people, according to an Israeli tally. The 12 activists are not currently in its custody and that it appears the authorities intend to deport the individuals upon arrival, a rights group in Israel has claimed. Oxfam says the aid boxes being distributed in Gaza are “simply not enough’ and “cannot undo the effects of prolonged starvation”, Oxfam has said. France has said it will work to ensure the rapid return home of French citizens aboard a boat carrying aid bound for Gaza that was intercepted by Israeli security forces. At least 12 people were killed and others wounded as they headed toward two aid points in the Gaza Strip.
9 Jun 2025 17.57 BST Closing summary Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, congratulated the Israeli army on the “quick and safe takeover” of the Madleen , the Gaza-bound aid vessel. Confirming that the passengers onboard – including climate activist Greta Thunberg and French MEP Rima Hassan – will be transported to the port of Ashdod, Katz added that he had instructed the IDF to “show the flotilla passengers the video of the horrors of the October 7 massacre.”
Adalah, a rights group in Israel that said it was representing the activists, has claimed that the 12 activists on the Madleen have not yet been brought to the country and they remain at sea. The group said Israel’s Detention Review Tribunal has confirmed that the activists are not currently in its custody and that it appears the authorities intend to deport the individuals upon arrival.
Israeli government spokesman David Mencer described the cargo on the Gaza aid boat as “meagre”. Labelling the ship as a “selfie yacht”, the spokesman claimed less than a truck’s worth of aid was onboard, but said that it would be sent in to Gaza.
Sweden’s ministry of foreign affairs on Monday said that it was aware of the situation on the Madleen and following developments onboard. “The ministry of foreign affairs and the ambassador in Tel Aviv are in contact with local authorities and monitoring the situation closely,” a spokesperson said.
Aid boxes being distributed in Gaza are “simply not enough” and “cannot undo the effects of prolonged starvation”, Oxfam has said. Bushra Khalidi, policy lead at Oxfam, said the nutritional value in the boxes “fall far short of what any principled humanitarian agency with expertise in nutrition and emergency response would recommend”.
France on Monday said it would work to ensure the rapid return home of French citizens aboard a boat carrying aid bound for Gaza that was intercepted by Israeli security forces, AFP reported. President Emmanuel Macron has requested that the six French nationals aboard the Madleen “be allowed to return to France as soon as possible”, a presidential official said, asking not to be named, while foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that Paris would work “to facilitate their swift return to France”.
Yolanda Díaz, Spain’s labour minister and one of the country’s three deputy prime ministers, has criticised Israel’s seizure of the boat and called for a “clear and firm response” from the EU. “I strongly condemn the seizure of the Madleen, which was carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza,” she wrote on Bluesky. “This violation of international law demands a clear and firm response from the EU. All my solidarity to the volunteers who are being held. We call for their freeing as soon as possible. #AllEyesOnMadleen“
Israeli fire killed at least 12 people and wounded others as they headed toward two aid distribution points in the Gaza Strip run by an Israeli and US-backed group, Palestinian health officials and witnesses said on Sunday. Israel’s military said it fired warning shots at people who approached its forces. The past two weeks have seen frequent shootings near the new hubs where thousands of Palestinians — desperate after 20 months of war — are being directed to collect food. Witnesses say nearby Israeli troops have opened fire, and more than 80 people have been killed, according to Gaza hospital officials.
Hundreds of people, mainly Tunisians, launched on Monday a land convoy bound for Gaza, seeking to “break the siege” on the Palestinian territory, activists said. Organisers said the nine-bus convoy was not bringing aid into Gaza, but rather aimed at carrying out a “symbolic act” by breaking the blockade on the territory described by the United Nations as “the hungriest place on Earth”.
Iran said on Monday it will soon present a counter-proposal on a nuclear deal with the US, after it had described Washington’s offer as containing “ambiguities”, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP). Tehran and Washington have held five rounds of talks since April to thrash out a new nuclear accord to replace the deal with major powers that US president Donald Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018.
Iran has said it will soon start releasing information from a hoard of Israeli nuclear secrets it claims to have obtained, as European countries push for a vote this week on reimposing UN sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear programme. The unverified claims by Iranian intelligence of a massive leak of Israeli secrets may be designed to turn the focus away from what Iran argues is its own excessively monitored civil nuclear programme. Share
9 Jun 2025 17.04 BST Palestinians inspect the damage in the rubble of the Shaheen family home, in the Saftawi neighbourhood, west of Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, after it was targeted in an Israeli strike. View image in fullscreen Palestinians inspect the damage in the rubble of the Shaheen family home, in the Saftawi neighbourhood, west of Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, after it was targeted in an Israeli strike on 9 June 2025. Photograph: Bashar Taleb/AFP/Getty Images Share
9 Jun 2025 16.24 BST Manisha Ganguly Aid boxes being distributed in Gaza are “simply not enough” and “cannot undo the effects of prolonged starvation”, Oxfam has said. Bushra Khalidi, policy lead at Oxfam, said the nutritional value in the boxes “fall far short of what any principled humanitarian agency with expertise in nutrition and emergency response would recommend”. In an interview with the Guardian, she said: The aid boxes currently being distributed are simply not enough. A few packages of pasta, flour, oil, sugar, and tinned vegetables cannot undo the effects of prolonged starvation. They lack fresh protein, fruits, and vegetables – essential components for the nutrition of a population facing extreme hunger.
What’s more, there is a severe shortage of clean water, fuel, and cooking gas. People cannot prepare meals with dry goods if they have no means to cook, no fuel, and are living under constant bombardment.
The limited contents of these aid boxes fall far short of what any principled humanitarian agency with expertise in nutrition and emergency response would recommend for a population subjected to nearly 20 months of blockade and mass displacement. This is not just inadequate, it risks becoming an extension of a policy that has weaponised starvation.
Children and families need far more than these insufficient food parcels. They need functioning hospitals, clean water, shelter, mental health support, and access to education, none of which are being addressed at scale.
It is misleading to suggest that these limited aid distributions are enough for more than two million Palestinians enduring Israel’s military siege and total blockade for months. Far more must be done to meet even the most basic humanitarian needs. Share
9 Jun 2025 15.55 BST Miranda Bryant Sweden’s ministry of foreign affairs on Monday said that it was aware of the situation on the Madleen and following developments onboard. “The ministry of foreign affairs and the ambassador in Tel Aviv are in contact with local authorities and monitoring the situation closely,” a spokesperson said. “Should the need for consular assistance arise, the embassy and the ministry of foreign affairs will assess how we can bets help the Swedish national / Greta Thunberg to solve their situation.” Share
9 Jun 2025 15.24 BST Hundreds of people, mainly Tunisians, launched on Monday a land convoy bound for Gaza, seeking to “break the siege” on the Palestinian territory, activists said. Organisers said the nine-bus convoy was not bringing aid into Gaza, but rather aimed at carrying out a “symbolic act” by breaking the blockade on the territory described by the United Nations as “the hungriest place on Earth”. The “Soumoud” convoy, meaning “steadfastness” in Arabic, includes doctors and aims to arrive in Rafah, in southern Gaza, “by the end of the week”, activist Jawaher Channa told AFP. It is set to pass through Libya and Egypt, although Cairo has yet to provide passage permits, she added. “We are about a thousand people, and we will have more join us along the way,” said Channa, spokesperson of the Tunisian Coordination of Joint Action for Palestine, the group organising the caravan. “Egypt has not yet given us permission to cross its borders, but we will see what happens when we get there,” she said. Channa said the convoy was not set to face issues crossing Libya, “whose people have historically supported the Palestinian cause”, despite recent deadly clashes in the country that remains divided between two governments. Algerian, Mauretanian, Moroccan and Libyan activists were also among the group, which is set to travel along the Tunisian and Libyan coasts, before continuing on to Rafah through Egypt. Share
9 Jun 2025 15.08 BST Rights group claim activists are still at sea Emma Graham-Harrison Adalah, a rights group in Israel that said it was representing the activists, has claimed that the 12 activists on the Madleen have not yet been brought to the country and they remain at sea. The group said Israel’s Detention Review Tribunal has confirmed that the activists are not currently in its custody and that it appears the authorities intend to deport the individuals upon arrival. It added that because today is not a scheduled hearing day at the Tribunal, any proceedings are expected to take place tomorrow. The group said: Adalah reiterates that the activists on the Flotilla are part of a civilian mission to break the illegal blockade on Gaza. The rights group said the Madleen was unlawfully intercepted in international waters and the activists were detained illegally. Israel has thus far failed to provided sufficient information as to their whereabouts and their legal status, Israel must provide such information immediately and release the unlawfully detained volunteers. Share
9 Jun 2025 14.53 BST Israeli government spokesman David Mencer described the cargo on the Gaza aid boat as “meagre”. Labelling the ship as a “selfie yacht”, the spokesman claimed less than a truck’s worth of aid was onboard, but said that it would be sent in to Gaza. He said Israel had taken control of the vessel smoothly, adding that those aboard the vessel would be returned home to their countries as soon as possible. The Madleen said it was attempting to reach the shores of the territory to bring in a symbolic amount of aid and raise international awareness of the continuing humanitarian crisis. Share Updated at 14.54 BST
9 Jun 2025 14.41 BST Iran said on Monday it will soon present a counter-proposal on a nuclear deal with the US, after it had described Washington’s offer as containing “ambiguities”, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP). Tehran and Washington have held five rounds of talks since April to thrash out a new nuclear accord to replace the deal with major powers that US president Donald Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018. The longtime foes have been locked in a diplomatic standoff over Iran’s uranium enrichment, with Tehran defending it as a “non-negotiable” right and Washington describing it as a “red line”. On 31 May, after the fifth round of talks, Iran said it had received “elements” of a US proposal, with Foreign minister Abbas Araghchi later saying the text contained “ambiguities”. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei criticised the US proposal as “lacking elements” reflective of the previous rounds of negotiations, without providing further details. “We will soon submit our own proposed plan to the other side through (mediator) Oman once it is finalised,” Baqaei told a weekly press briefing. “It is a proposal that is reasonable, logical and balanced, and we strongly recommend that the American side value this opportunity.” Iran’s parliament speaker has said the US proposal failed to include the lifting of sanctions – a key demand for Tehran, which has been reeling under their weight for years. Share
9 Jun 2025 14.28 BST Trump expected to speak to Netanyahu US president Donald Trump planned to speak with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, a White House official told Reuters.
The call comes as Trump has been trying to accelerate aid into Gaza and has been trying to persuade Iran to give up its nuclear program. Iran has said it will soon start releasing information from a hoard of Israeli nuclear secrets it claims to have obtained, as European countries push for a vote this week on reimposing UN sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear programme. The unverified claims by Iranian intelligence of a massive leak of Israeli secrets may be designed to turn the focus away from what Iran argues is its own excessively monitored civil nuclear programme. Share
9 Jun 2025 14.13 BST Jo-Ann Mort Jo-Ann Mort is co-author of Our Hearts Invented a Place: Can Kibbutzim Survive in Today’s Israel? She writes frequently about Israel for US, UK, and Israeli publications. Emmanuel Macron has become enemy No 1 for the Netanyahu government. That’s because the French president aims to create momentum for a Palestinian state beside Israel encompassing the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) and the Gaza Strip, reviving what is fast becoming an out-of-reach possibility – a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians. That’s why Macron has earned the fury of an increasingly unhinged Israeli prime minister. France is expected to co-chair an organizing conference at the United Nations in New York in mid-June, taking advantage of heads of state already in North America for the Canadian-based G7 summit a few days earlier. He hopes this conference will include the all-important Saudi Arabia and other Arab states. Right now, it’s anyone’s guess whether the Saudis show up, as they calculate whether there is enough maneuverability on the Palestinian issue for them to expose themselves. I hope they show up – either at the foreign ministry level or, dramatically, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman himself as co-chair, as Macron initially envisioned. The reality is that with a far-right Israeli government and prime minister in the clutches of its most extreme elements, it’s urgently important for world leaders who want to maintain a two-state option to turn up and shout out. There is no more important figure right now for Macron to have by his side than Prince Mohammed, who could also help influence a US president who presently appears to have no consistent diplomatic strategy for Israel-Palestine. You can read more of Jo-Ann Mort’s opinion piece here: Macron must lead the EU push to end Israel’s war on Gaza Macron must lead the EU push to end Israel’s war on Gaza | Jo-Ann Mort Read more Share
9 Jun 2025 13.56 BST The Swedish foreign ministry said it was in contact with Israeli authorities. “Should the need for consular support arise, the embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will assess how we can best help the Swedish citizen/Greta Thunberg resolve her situation,” a Swedish Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a written statement to Reuters. Share
9 Jun 2025 13.54 BST Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer has hit out at Greta Thunberg after her Gaza aid boat was detained. Speaking at a press conference, he addressed her directly and asked “who is really feeding Gaza and who is really feeding their own ego?”. Speaking in a typically combative style, Mencer went on: For the last two weeks alone, Israel has facilitated more than 1,200 trucks laden with aid to enter Gaza. The very latest figures from Gaza are that close to 11 million meals have been delivered directly to Gazans. To those that really do wish to get real aid to Gaza, there are proper, organised channels. Share
9 Jun 2025 13.01 BST Palestinians flee their homes after the Israeli army issued evacuation orders, in Jabalia. View image in fullscreen Palestinians flee their homes after the Israeli army issued evacuation orders, in Jabalia. Photograph: Mahmoud Issa/Reuters Share
9 Jun 2025 12.18 BST Patrick Wintour Iran has said it will soon start releasing information from a hoard of Israeli nuclear secrets it claims to have obtained, as European countries push for a vote this week on reimposing UN sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear programme. The unverified claims by Iranian intelligence of a massive leak of Israeli secrets may be designed to turn the focus away from what Iran argues is its own excessively monitored civil nuclear programme. On Sunday, Iran’s intelligence minister, Esmail Khatib, claimed Tehran had obtained “a vast collection of strategic and sensitive [Israeli] documents, including plans and data on the nuclear facilities”. He added evidence would be released shortly, and implied some of the documentation was linked to Israel’s arrest of two Israeli nationals, Roi Mizrahi and Almog Attias, over alleged spying for Iran. Even within Iran there is scepticism that Iranian agents could have obtained such dramatic intelligence. The claim may be designed to warn off Israel from acting on its repeated threat to bomb Iran’s nuclear sites since Iranian insight into Israel’s own nuclear programme would increase the risk of effective Iranian reprisals. European powers are preparing to press for a vote at the quarterly board meeting of the nuclear inspectorate the IAEA in Vienna, which starts on Monday, that could lead to the reimposition of UN sanctions in October. France, Germany and the UK will cite a 20-page comprehensive report commissioned from the IAEA secretariat on Iran’s failure to comply with the nuclear deal agreed in 2015, and Tehran’s years-long failure to answer questions about aspects of its previous nuclear programme. Iran says it will release Israeli nuclear secrets as pressure grows to reimpose sanctions Read more Share