A charity vessel with 12 people onboard, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, which was trying to bring a handful of humanitarian aid to Gaza to break the naval blockade was intercepted and seized by the Israeli naval forces and towed to the Israeli port city of Ashdod on Monday evening, Israeli foreign ministry said.
The yacht Madleen, which was flagged by Britain and operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), had been carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid to deliver and raise international awareness about humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. But before the vessel could reach Gaza, it was intercepted and diverted by Israeli forces to Ashdod.
BREAKING: Press statement by Gaza Freedom Flotilla:
“We have just received confirmation that all 12 volunteers from the ‘Madleen’ are currently at Ashdod Port. They are being processed and transferred into the custody of Israeli authorities. They are expected to be moved to the… pic.twitter.com/psXuv2iISW
— Freedom Flotilla Coalition (@GazaFFlotilla) June 10, 2025
Israel’s foreign ministry confirmed that the boat carrying 12 people, including Greta Thunberg, had docked and they were “undergoing medical examinations to ensure they are in good health”. Israel dismissed the boat as a “selfie yacht” and said that its members would be deported to their respective countries.
In a video released by Freedom Flotilla Coalition before the vessel was captured by Israeli forces, Thunberg, 22, said “If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by 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,” Greta Thunberg added in the FCC video.
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
Organisers FCC said the aid boat Madleen had rice and baby formula on board. The 12 people on board the humanitarian vessel belonged to Brazil, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Turkey. It includes Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament, and Omar Faiad, a French journalist with Al Jazeera.
US President Donald Trump had dismissed the claims of Thunberg getting kidnapped and said “I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg.” Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz accused Greta and the aid ship crew of ignoring Hamas atrocities by “closing their eyes to the truth.”
