Gaza Freedom Flotilla: Greta Thunberg and crew of yacht Madleen detained by Israeli forces
The UK-flagged sailing yacht Madleen and her twelve person crew, among them activist Greta Thunberg, have been seized and are being detained by Israeli armed forces. At present, their location is still unknown.
Sailing yacht Madleen 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).
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.
Where is the Madleen?
At present, the Madleen’s 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.
Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz said both the Madleen 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’s crew be shown footage from the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023. Since then, Israel’s response has been widely denounced as a genocide.
The ship, registered as Barcarole, was renamed Madleen by its crew in honour of Madleen Kulab, Gaza’s first and only known fisherwoman. Photo: Getty
The Madleen’s interception
Israeli military personnel boarded the vessel before it lost signal. Moments before, drones had dropped an unidentified white, paint-like chemical substance on board.
In a video clip from onboard one of the crew comments, “We are using the Palestine flag to protect us,” before telling the camera, “It’s burning my eyes, this thing.”
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.
In the video, Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila can be heard saying into a phone, “It’s very important you know, no one is wounded now. No one was wounded when they boarded our boat.”
Still an unnamed woman says, off camera, “If anything happens to us, this is yet another war crime.”
On their official social channels, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition has previously stated that, ‘Any attack or interference with the Madleen 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.’
Photo: Getty
Greta Thunberg and the Madleen‘s crew
The 12 members of Madleen’s 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.
In the hours since the vessel’s seizure, the GFF has released pre-recorded videos of many of these Pro-Palestinian activists urging action in case of their detainment.
In one of these widely circulated clips, Greta Thunberg dons a Keffiyeh (a head dress traditionally worn in the Middle East and a symbol of Palestinian solidarity), stating:
“If 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.”
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.
Photo: Getty
The Gaza Freedom Flotilla
Formed in 2010, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition says it works with ‘civil society partners’, rather than any party, faction or government.
The flotilla was aiming to break an Israeli-imposed sea blockade that has surrounded Gaza since 2007 by sailing through it. The Madleen’s journey was organised and undertaken in full compliance with international, maritime, and humanitarian law.
The Barcarole/Madleen is an 18 metre schooner built by Van Dam Nordia in 1974. It was motoring at the time of its interception.
When it set off from the Italian port of Catania, Sicily, on June 1st, Madleen carried an unarmed crew and a small quantity – which the campaigners defined as a symbolic amount, less than a lorry load – of humanitarian aid, including items such as rice, medical supplies, and baby formula.
Israel denounced the small amount of aid carried onboard. In a press conference today Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said: “On the subject of aid, the yacht had a meagre cargo but of course it will be sent into Gaza.”
He added: “When it comes to this flotilla, it wasn’t a flotilla, it was a selfie yacht. It was Instagram activism.”
Sailing activism
In a previous incident in May 2010, a Turkish-owned aid vessel, the Mavi Marmara was seized by Israeli forces, who killed 10 passengers on board and left another 30 wounded. Mavi Marmara 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.
Environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg has previously twice sailed across the Atlantic as part of her activism.
In 2019 she sailed to New York aboard the IMOCA 60 Malizia with Vendée Globe skipper Boris Herrmann 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 with crew including Nikki Henderson (a major Yachting World feature).
Photo: Getty
Global Response to the Madleen‘s interception
In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said, “This 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.”
France is already working to ensure the swift return of French citizens that were onboard.
In a recent post on X, Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, urges the UK government to “secure the immediate release of the vessel and its crew.” According to the BBC, Downing Street has stated that it hopes to resolve the question, “safely with restraint, in line with international humanitarian law”.
“Every Mediterranean port,” Albanese writes on X, “should send boats with aid, solidarity, and humanity to Gaza. They shall sail together – united, they will be unstoppable.”
On land, news of the incident has garnered support worldwide, with protests underway to oppose the seizure and detainment of Madleen 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’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Latest update
According to Israel’s foreign ministry at around 1500 (BST), sailing yacht Madleen is “safely making its way to the shores of Israel”.
A group of pro-Palestinian activists in Ashdod are gathering for a demonstration before her arrival. The yacht’s cargo will be sent to Gaza, while the members of her crew are expected to be deported to their home countries.
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