SRINAGAR: Israeli forces on Monday intercepted a boat carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza and detained climate activist Greta Thunberg and 11 others aboard. The vessel, part of a mission organised by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was stopped as it attempted to breach the naval blockade on the Gaza Strip.

As per media reports, the group said the ship was boarded unlawfully and described the action as the “abduction” of unarmed civilians. The boat was carrying aid including baby formula, food, and medical supplies. Israeli authorities confiscated the cargo and took the activists into custody.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry described the mission as a publicity campaign, referring to it on X as a “selfie yacht.” It said the activists would be returned to their home countries and the seized aid would be redirected to Gaza through approved routes.

Footage released later by Israeli officials showed military personnel distributing sandwiches and water to the detainees, who were wearing life vests.

The boat, named Madleen, had departed from Sicily a week earlier. It stopped last Thursday to rescue four migrants who had jumped into the sea to avoid Libyan coast guard detention.

In a message recorded before the ship was intercepted, Thunberg urged supporters to pressure the Swedish government for her release and that of the other detainees.

Among those aboard was Rima Hassan, a French MEP of Palestinian descent, who has been denied entry to Israel due to her stance on Israeli policies.

This latest attempt follows an earlier failed mission last month by the same coalition, when another vessel was damaged by drone strikes in international waters off Malta. The group blamed Israel for that incident.

Israel and Egypt have maintained a blockade on Gaza since 2007, after Hamas took control of the territory. Israel intensified restrictions after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, which left 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage. More than half of those hostages have since been released; 55 remain in captivity, with many feared dead.

The war has caused significant damage in Gaza. Over 54,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The figure does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Humanitarian agencies have warned of famine, saying aid remains insufficient and difficult to deliver under current conditions.

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In a bold humanitarian move, climate activist Greta Thunberg and several other prominent figures were detained by the Israeli military after their vessel, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was intercepted en route to Gaza. The incident sparked global outcry and renewed scrutiny of Israel’s blockade of the war-torn enclave.

Environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg, positioned at the centre, prepares to board the Madleen vessel alongside fellow members of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition before departing for Gaza from the port of Catania in Sicily, Italy, on Sunday, June 1, 2025. [Credit: AP Photo/Salvatore Cavalli]

A Mission of Aid and Solidarity

The civilian ship Madleen, carrying vital humanitarian supplies such as baby formula, flour, medical items, and children’s prosthetics, departed from Sicily on June 1, aiming to break the blockade and bring relief to over 2 million Gazans suffering under Israel’s siege. Among the passengers were Greta Thunberg, French MEP Rima Hassan, and actor Liam Cunningham, all part of a symbolic mission meant to draw attention to Gaza’s humanitarian crisis.

“This mission is not even close to being as dangerous as the silence of the world in the face of genocide,” Thunberg said before boarding. At just 22, Greta Thunberg’s age hasn’t deterred her from taking on some of the world’s most powerful governments. The Madleen had even publicised its journey using a Madleen tracker, showing its deliberate and transparent intention to deliver aid peacefully.

Crew members aboard the “Madleen” are shown with their hands raised as Israeli forces board the vessel, in a photo released by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.

The Interception

As the Madleen neared Gaza’s shores, Israeli forces reportedly boarded the ship in international waters. According to the FFC, drones surrounded the vessel, communications were jammed, and a white paint-like substance was sprayed across the deck. Activist Yasmin Acar reported eye irritation from the substance in a livestream.

Footage released by Israel’s Foreign Ministry later showed Thunberg and other passengers in orange life jackets being offered food and water. The ministry labelled the incident as “a media provocation” and described the Madleen as a “selfie yacht” carrying “celebrities.”

“The ‘selfie yacht’ of the ‘celebrities’ is safely making its way to the shores of Israel,” read one official post. Yet, the Freedom Flotilla maintains that Israel kidnapped Greta Thunberg and the other volunteers, seizing both the people and their symbolic cargo.

All the passengers of the ‘selfie yacht’ are safe and unharmed. They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over. pic.twitter.com/tLZZYcspJO — Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) June 9, 2025

Legal and Moral Controversy

International law experts have sharply criticised the Israeli action. “Israel has no legal authority to detain international volunteers aboard the Madleen,” said human rights attorney Huwaida Arraf. “This seizure blatantly violates international law and defies the ICJ’s binding orders requiring unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza.”

Gaza Freedom Flotilla Greta Thunberg’s participation was intended to highlight the nearly two-decade blockade and what she has called the world’s indifference to suffering in Gaza. Hamas condemned the action, labelling it “a flagrant violation of international law” and demanded the immediate release of all detained activists.

A Pattern of Interception

This isn’t the first time the Freedom Flotilla Coalition has attempted to challenge Israel’s naval blockade. In 2010, the Mavi Marmara, another aid ship in a similar flotilla, was boarded by Israeli commandos, resulting in the deaths of nine activists. The FFC describes these missions as non-violent civil resistance aimed at forcing international attention.

Last month, another FFC ship, the Conscience, was reportedly attacked by drones in international waters off Malta. Although no one was hurt, the Greta Thunberg sailing to Gaza plan had to be delayed, only resuming with the Madleen‘s departure.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a grassroots movement formed in 2010 to oppose Israel’s blockade of Gaza, organised the voyage of the Madleen, named after Gaza’s first female fisherwoman, to raise awareness about food shortages in the region. The ship, which departed Italy on 1 June, carried a symbolic amount of aid such as rice and baby formula—described by Israel as less than a truckload. [Credit: Getty Images]

Israel’s Stance and Humanitarian Blockade

Israel imposed its blockade on Gaza in 2007, citing the need to prevent arms smuggling into the Hamas-controlled territory. However, humanitarian groups argue the blockade has created inhumane conditions for Gaza’s population, which the UN recently warned is at risk of famine.

Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz called the flotilla participants “propagandists for Hamas” and accused Greta Thunberg of antisemitism. “To Greta the antisemite and her friends… you won’t get to Gaza,” he said bluntly.

Israel claims to have transferred the aid seized from the Madleen ship through established humanitarian channels, but critics argue the current aid distribution system is broken and politically compromised. Aid convoys have been attacked, looted, or stopped by both Israeli forces and conflicting actors within Gaza.

Also Read: Greta Thunberg Sails to Gaza on Madleen as Israel Threatens to Block Freedom Flotilla

International Reaction

While the Israeli Foreign Ministry has tried to downplay the aid carried on the Madleen, calling it “less than a single truckload,” many believe the true impact of the voyage was symbolic. The flotilla’s presence, especially with someone as high-profile as Greta, underscores a growing global demand for accountability in Gaza.

“The moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity,” Thunberg said in a pre-recorded video released after communications with the Madleen were lost.

As the activists are expected to return to their home countries, global attention remains fixed on the situation. With the Gaza Freedom Flotilla Greta Thunberg story dominating headlines, questions of legality, morality, and responsibility remain at the centre of the international dialogue.

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Israeli forces have stopped a Gaza-bound aid boat and detained Greta Thunberg and other activists who were on board, enforcing a longstanding blockade of the Palestinian territory that has been tightened during the war with Hamas.

The activists had set out to protest Israel’s ongoing military campaign in the Gaza Strip and its restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid, both of which have put the territory of some two million Palestinians at risk of famine.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which had organised the voyage, said the activists were “kidnapped by Israeli forces” while trying to deliver desperately needed aid to the territory.

“The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo – including baby formula, food and medical supplies -confiscated,” it said in a statement.

Israeli officials, including defence minister Israel Katz, dismissed the activists as engaged in a publicity stunt and said the vessel would be transported to the port of Ashdod.

Mr Katz said he had told the military to force the passengers to watch videos of the Hamas atrocities of October 7 upon arrival “to see exactly who the terrorist organisation they came to support and for whom they work is”.

The Israeli foreign ministry added the passengers would be returned to their home countries.

Play Brightcove video

Footage captured the moment Israeli military personnel came aboard the vessel on Monday

Israeli troops have intercepted a ship trying to bring humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and have detained activists onboard, including Greta Thunberg.

The British-flagged yacht Madleen has “lost connection” and those on board were attacked with a “chemical-like substance”, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) campaign group said on the Telegram app early Monday.

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and a French lawmaker are among 12 people aboard the ship, which was trying to deliver desperately needed aid to the territory.

In a video posted by the FFC, Thunberg said they have been “kidnapped” by Israeli troops.

Greta Thunberg told ITV News on Saturday that she was preparing for an Israeli “attack” or “interception”

Play Brightcove video

The FFC added in a statement: “The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo – including baby formula, food and medical supplies – confiscated.”

The boat was approached by drones and sprayed passengers with a “white chemical-like substance”, the statement added.

Appearing to confirm that the ship had been boarded, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the yacht was “safely making its way to the shores of Israel” and its passengers were “expected to return to their home countries”.

However, the FFC said they “have not yet heard” from those on board, and their whereabouts is “unknown”, with enquiries to Israel’s immigration authorities left unanswered.

It cast 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 would return to their home countries, and the aid would be delivered to Gaza through established channels.

It later circulated footage of what appeared to be Israeli military personnel handing out sandwiches and water to the activists, who were wearing orange life vests.

Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, said that he has instructed the Israeli Defene Forces (IDF) to screen footage of the 7 October attacks for those aboard when they arrive at Ashdod Port.

In a post on X, he said he “commends the IDF for its swift and safe takeover”.

Activist Greta Thunberg had told ITV News on Sunday she was preparing a “non-violent response” to any Israeli interception of her aid boat after Israel told her she would “not make it to Gaza.”

A photo posted on Telegram purportedly showing activists with their hands up on board the Madleen. Credit: Freedom Flotilla Coalition

“We are a humanitarian aid ship with civilians on board, not carrying weapons but carrying food and medical supplies,” she said.

“[We are] sailing on international waters to Palestinian territorial waters to be able to deliver humanitarian aid following a blockade of humanitarian aid and the systematic starvation of over two million people.”

Greta Thunberg denied her actions were a ‘publicity stunt’ and said she hoped the ‘Freedom Flotilla’ would inspire solidarity

Play Brightcove video

Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, said earlier that his country wouldn’t allow anyone to break its naval blockade of the Palestinian territory, which he said was aimed at preventing Hamas from importing arms.

“To the antisemitic Greta and her fellow Hamas propagandists — I will say this clearly: You should turn back, because you will not make it to Gaza,” Katz said in a statement.

Despite this, Ms Thunberg told ITV News she was “still determined” to reach Gaza’s shore.

The FFC vessel departed Sicily on June 1, on a mission that aims to break the sea blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid, while raising awareness over the growing humanitarian crisis 20 months into the Israel-Hamas war.

Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent, is among the others onboard. She has been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies toward the Palestinians.

After a more than two-month total blockade aimed at pressuring Hamas, Israel started allowing some basic aid into Gaza last month, but humanitarian workers have warned of famine unless the blockade is lifted and Israel ends its military offensive.

An attempt last month by Freedom Flotilla to reach Gaza by sea failed after another of the group’s vessels was attacked by two drones while sailing in international waters off Malta. The group blamed Israel for the attack, which damaged the front section of the ship.

Thunberg in Italy before setting off towards Gaza. Credit: AP

Israel and Egypt have imposed varying degrees of blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007. Critics of the blockade say it amounts to collective punishment of Gaza’s roughly 2 million Palestinians.

Israel sealed Gaza off from all aid in the early days of the war ignited by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, but later relented under US pressure.

In early March, shortly before Israel ended a ceasefire with Hamas, the country again blocked all imports, including food, fuel and medicine.

Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the October 7 attack and abducted 251 hostages, more than half of whom have since been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

Hamas is still holding 55 hostages, more than half of them believed to be dead.

Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which has said women and children make up most of the dead. It doesn’t say whether those killed are civilians or combatants.

The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced around 90% of the territory’s population, leaving people there almost completely dependent on international aid.

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From 7h ago 05.54 BST Israel’s defence minister says Madleen passengers will be shown video of 7 October attacks 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. 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.” Referring to Thunberg personally, as well as the other activists on board, Katz said he wanted them to “see exactly who the Hamas terrorist organization they came to support and for whom they work is, what atrocities they committed against women, the elderly, and children, and against whom Israel is fighting to defend itself.” 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. Gaza’s health ministry says over 54,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of that campaign. Share Updated at 06.17 BST

42m ago 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

1h ago 11.54 BST 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”. Share

2h ago 11.19 BST Adalah, a rights group in Israel that said it was representing the activists, said Israel had “no legal authority” to take over the ship because it was in international waters and because it was headed not to Israel but to the “territorial waters of the state of Palestine”. “The arrest of the unarmed activists, who operated in a civilian manner to provide humanitarian aid, amounts to a serious breach of international law,” Adalah said in a statement, adding: Adalah demands the immediate disclosure of the activists’ location and legal status, and their access to legal counsel to enable legal representation before Israeli authorities and tribunals. Adalah will pursue legal actions to secure the activists’ safety and release. Share Updated at 11.20 BST

2h ago 11.04 BST 1:28 Israeli forces halt Gaza-bound aid yacht carrying Greta Thunberg – video Share

2h ago 10.42 BST An Israeli man confronts Israeli activists holding placards and waving Palestinian flags as they protest near the port of Ashdod, Israel. View image in fullscreen An Israeli man confronts Israeli activists holding placards and waving Palestinian flags as they protest near the port of Ashdod, Israel, 09 June 2025. Photograph: Abir Sultan/EPA Share

3h ago 10.28 BST Sam Jones 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“ Spain’s socialist-led government has been one of the most outspoken European critics of Israel’s prosecution of its war in Gaza. Last month, Israel said it had summoned the Spanish ambassador for a formal reprimand after the prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, described Israel as a “genocidal state”. Sánchez made the remarks during an exchange in the Spanish parliament in which his government was accused of continuing to trade with Israel. “I want to clarify one thing,” the prime minister said. “We don’t trade with a genocidal state. We don’t.” The prime minister has previously expressed “genuine doubts” about whether Israel was complying with international humanitarian law in its offensive in Gaza, while Díaz has said “the genocide of the Palestinian people cannot go unpunished”. Share

3h ago 09.57 BST Sam Jones Spain’s foreign ministry has summoned an Israeli diplomat to a meeting today in protest at the seizing of the Madleen, according to El País. A Spanish citizen, Sergio Toribio, is among the activists on the boat.

“The foreign ministry is in contact with the Spaniard in question, with his family and with the Israeli foreign ministry, and is exercising consular protection with regard to our citizen,” foreign ministry sources told the paper. A pre-recorded video posted on social media shows Toribio holding up his Spanish passport and saying: “My name is Segio Toribio from Spain. If you are seeing this video, we have been intercepted at sea and I have been kidnapped by Israeli occupation forces, or forces of a country complicit in Israel’s genocide of Palestinians. I appeal to all my comrades, friends and family to put pressure on the Spanish government to demand my release as soon as possible.” Share

3h ago 09.54 BST Emma Graham-Harrison Our correspondent Emma Graham-Harrison in Jerusalem has this report on the seizure of the Madleen Israel’s military took control of a boat trying to deliver food to Palestinians in Gaza in the early hours of Monday morning, and brought its crew of activists including Greta Thunberg to an Israeli port. The Madleen was making a symbolic attempt to break to the blockade of Gaza and raise awareness of a looming “starvation crisis”. It was never likely to get through Israel’s naval blockade of the territory, where UN-backed experts have warned of looming famine, and dozens of people have been killed by Israeli forces trying to reach food distribution centres. Even attempting to reach Gaza by boat is risky. In May, another boat sailing as part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the group that organised the Madleen’s voyage, caught fire off Malta and issued an SOS after what the group said was an attack by Israeli drones. Israel’s military declined to comment. Read the full story here Israeli forces take control of Gaza aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg Read more Share

3h ago 09.38 BST Turkey accuses Israel of acting ‘as a terror state’ Turkey has also condemned Israel’s seizure of the Madleen and accused Israel of acting “as a terror state”. Turkish activists Suayb Ordu is among the 12-strong crew. The Turkish foreign ministry called the move a “clear violation of international law”. It said the intervention threatened maritime security and “once again demonstrates that Israel is acting as a terror state.” Share

4h ago 08.53 BST Iran calls interception of the Madleen ‘an act of piracy’ Iran has condemned Israel’s interception of the Madleen, the Gaza-bound aid vessel, describing it as an act of piracy, according to Agence France-Presse. “The assault on this flotilla – since it happened in international waters – is considered a form of piracy under international law,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told a press briefing in Tehran on Monday. Share

4h ago 08.32 BST View image in fullscreen A handout photo made available by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) shows the crew of the Madleen ship before leaving the port of Catania in Sicily on 1 June Photograph: Freedom Flotilla Coalition Handout/EPA Share