A flotilla was organized in June 2025 by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) attempting to break the

Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip The restrictions on movement and goods in Gaza imposed by Israel date to the early 1990s. After Hamas took over in 2007, Israel significantly intensified existing movement restrictions and imposed a complete blockade on the movement of good ...

and deliver

aid In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another. Th ...

in response to the

famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food caused by several possible factors, including, but not limited to war, natural disasters, crop failure, widespread poverty, an Financial crisis, economic catastrophe or government policies. This phenom ...

and

humanitarian crisis A humanitarian crisis (or sometimes humanitarian disaster) is defined as a singular event or a series of events that are threatening in terms of health, safety or well-being of a community or large group of people. It may be an internal or exter ...

in Gaza, which the crew members have described as a genocide. The

flotilla A flotilla (from Spanish, meaning a small ''flota'' ( fleet) of ships), or naval flotilla, is a formation of small warships that may be part of a larger fleet. Composition A flotilla is usually composed of a homogeneous group of the same cla ...

, which was led by the UK-flagged vessel ''Madleen'', departed from

Catania Catania (, , , Sicilian and ) is the second-largest municipality on Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the center of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, wh ...

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

, on 1 June 2025. In the early hours of 9 June,

Israeli forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

intercepted, boarded, and seized the ''Madleen'' in

international waters The terms international waters or transboundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water (or their drainage basins) transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed region ...

, preventing it from reaching the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...

, and transported the twelve people onboard to detention in Israel. The people onboard included Swedish activist

Greta Thunberg Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg (; born 3January 2003) is a Swedish climate activist, climate and political activist initially known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action to climate change mitigation, mitigate the effec ...

and French MEP

Rima Hassan Rima Hassan Mobarak (; born 28 April 1992) is a French jurist and politician of Palestinian origin, born in the refugee camp of Neirab, near Aleppo, Syria. Stateless, she arrived in France around the age of nine and settled with her family in ...

. The detained crew members were later deported from Israel. The cargo contained

baby formula Infant formula, also called baby formula, simply formula (American English), formula milk, baby milk, or infant milk (British English), is a processed food, manufactured food designed and marketing, marketed for feeding to babies and infants ...

, of flour, of rice, diapers, medical kits, and crutches. The flotilla followed an earlier attempt on 2 May, when the vessel ''Conscience'' was struck with projectiles while anchored off the coast of

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

outside Maltese

territorial waters Territorial waters are informally an area of water where a sovereign state has jurisdiction, including internal waters, the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone, and potentially the extended continental shelf ( ...

Background

The June 2025 Gaza Freedom Flotilla is one of several attempts to break the Israeli blockade and send humanitarian aid to Gaza via small flotillas of ships. The first was seen in 2010, when the Gaza Freedom Flotilla sailed with the intent of breaking the blockade of the Gaza Strip that had been enacted in 2007; ten activists were killed by Israeli commandos on this voyage. Other flotillas set out with similar missions in

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, 2018 and

May 2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

with Israeli officials interceding on all attempts, with participants detained, deported or held in Israeli prisons. The vessel ''Conscience'' in the FFC's previous flotilla attempting to establish a corridor for humanitarian aid had been struck by drones, while preparing to set sail for Gaza in May 2025, 14 miles off the coast of Malta, in international waters. Four individuals sustained injuries in the attacks, and the ship suffered damage and flooding. After the

October 7 attacks On October 7, 2023, Hamas and several other Palestinian militant groups launched coordinated armed incursions from the Gaza Strip into the Gaza envelope of southern Israel, the first invasion of Israeli territory since the 1948 Arab–Israeli ...

and during the ensuing

Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...

, Israel intensified its blockade on the Gaza Strip, labeling it as a total blockade denying the entry of food, water, medicine, fuel and electricity, causing high risk of famine and a

that scholars have described as

genocide Genocide is violence that targets individuals because of their membership of a group and aims at the destruction of a people. Raphael Lemkin, who first coined the term, defined genocide as "the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group" by ...

. Due to Israeli checkpoints into Gaza which predate the October 7 attacks, the

Israeli government The Israeli system of government is based on parliamentary democracy. The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of government and leader of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government (also known as the cabinet). Legislat ...

and

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

(IDF) have controlled the entrance of humanitarian aid into Gaza, with aid delivery disrupted multiple times over the years, either via Israeli government blockades or Israeli civilian protests. Additionally, since March 2, 2025, very little humanitarian aid has been allowed into Gaza, with concerns about famine in Gaza being raised by the

Integrated Food Security Phase Classification The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), also known as IPC scale, is a tool for improving food security analysis and decision-making. It is a standardised scale that integrates food security, nutrition and livelihood information in ...

(IPC). Israel has announced that any action that leads to breaking the siege of Gaza will be met with failure. Israel and the

Gaza Humanitarian Foundation The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is an American organization, based in Delaware, established in February 2025 to distribute humanitarian aid during the ongoing Gaza humanitarian crisis. Formerly led by executive director Jake Wood until ...

allege that

Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...

has diverted aid and hindered humanitarian aid disbursement.

Voyage

The vessel ''Madleen'' (formerly the ''Barcarole''; the boat was renamed in honor of Gaza's first fisher woman, Madleen Culab) set sail from

, on 1 June 2025 carrying baby formula, 100 kg of flour, 250 kg of rice, diapers,

menstrual products Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) or menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) is the access to menstrual hygiene products to absorb or collect the flow of blood during menstruation, privacy to change the materials, and access to facilities to dispose ...

water desalination Desalination is a process that removes mineral components from saline water. More generally, desalination is the removal of salts and minerals from a substance. One example is soil desalination. This is important for agriculture. It is possible ...

kits, medical supplies, crutches, and children's prosthetics and was expected to reach the Gaza Strip on 7 June. Twelve passengers were onboard, including activist

and French

Member of European Parliament A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...

. Since it was sailing under a UK

red ensign The Red Ensign or Red Duster is the civil ensign of the United Kingdom. It is one of the British ensigns, and it is used either plain or defacement (flag), defaced with either a Glossary of vexillology#Flag elements, badge or a Glossary of v ...

, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said the UK government "has a legal duty to defend 'Madleen' and the civilians on board, and to prevent unlawful interference-including any threat or use of force-by foreign powers such as Israel". The passengers (along with their nationalities) included: On 3 June, a

drone Drone or The Drones may refer to: Science and technology Vehicle * Drone, a type of uncrewed vehicle, a class of robot ** Unmanned aerial vehicle or aerial drone *** Unmanned combat aerial vehicle ** Unmanned ground vehicle or ground drone ** Unma ...

was seen near the vessel prompting a call for international protection. A

Hellenic Coast Guard The Hellenic Coast Guard () is the national coast guard of Greece. Like many other coast guards, it is a paramilitary organization that can support the Hellenic Navy in wartime, but resides under separate civilian control in times of peace. The ...

Heron Herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 75 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genus ''Botaurus'' are referred to as bi ...

drone was reported to have monitored the vessel. In the afternoon of 4 June the flotilla had been reported as being near

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

. On 5 June the vessel altered course to assist a small boat of Sudanese migrants. Four migrants were recovered from the sea and taken aboard ''Madleen'', and subsequently transferred to

Frontex The European Border and Coast Guard Agency, commonly known as Frontex (from French ''frontières extérieures'', "external borders"), is an agency of the European Union headquartered in Warsaw, Poland. In coordination with the border and coast gu ...

. On 7 June, the vessel had reached Egypt.

Israeli interception, boarding, and detention of passengers

On 8 June, passengers reported that boats were circling the ''Madleen'' and the ship's alarm was triggered. They prepared for an interception, but the boats eventually dispersed, and passengers later described the incident as an "unlikely false alarm." The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) also reported that two Israeli

quadcopter A quadcopter, also called quadrocopter, or quadrotor is a type of helicopter or multicopter that has four rotors. Although quadrotor helicopters and convertiplanes have long been flown experimentally, the configuration remained a curiosity ...

drones surrounded the vessel and sprayed a white, paint-like substance that passengers described as an irritant. Shortly afterward, the FFC reported losing contact with the passengers, and the Israeli military boarded the ship. At around 3:00a.m. on 9 June,

Israeli Navy The Israeli Navy (, ''Ḥeil HaYam HaYisraeli'', ; ) is the Israel Defense Forces#Arms, naval warfare service arm of the Israel Defense Forces, operating primarily in the Mediterranean Sea theater as well as the Gulf of Eilat and the Red Sea th ...

forces from

Shayetet 13 Shayetet 13 () is a naval commando unit of the Israeli Navy and one of the primary sayeret, reconnaissance units of the Israel Defense Forces. Shayetet 13 specializes in sea-to-land incursions, counter-terrorism, sabotage, maritime intelligence ...

seized the vessel about 185 kilometres from Gaza in international waters, and towed it to

Ashdod Ashdod (, ; , , or ; Philistine language, Philistine: , romanized: *''ʾašdūd'') is the List of Israeli cities, sixth-largest city in Israel. Located in the country's Southern District (Israel), Southern District, it lies on the Mediterranean ...

. According to Israeli officials, they ordered it to turn back before boarding it. During boarding, the passengers of the ship threw mobile phones and a laptop overboard. The passengers on the vessel surrendered to Israeli authorities without resistance. The Israeli forces transported the crew members of the flotilla from international waters to Israel. Greta Thunberg described it as a

kidnapping Kidnapping or abduction is the unlawful abduction and confinement of a person against their will, and is a crime in many jurisdictions. Kidnapping may be accomplished by use of force or fear, or a victim may be enticed into confinement by frau ...

. After arriving at the

Port of Ashdod The Port of Ashdod () is one of Israel's three main cargo ports. The port is located in Ashdod, about 40 kilometers south of Tel Aviv, adjoining the mouth of the Lachish River. Its establishment significantly enhanced the country's port capacity ...

, the detainees were taken to

Ben Gurion Airport Ben Gurion International Airport , commonly known by the Hebrew language, Hebrew-language acronym (), is the main international airport of Israel. Situated on outskirts north of the city of Lod and directly south of the city of Or Yehuda, i ...

where they met with consuls from their native countries. Thunberg refused to sign a document stating she entered the country illegally prior to being deported, but she did sign a document stating her intention to return home as soon as possible. She was then deported along with three other activists (André, Faiad, and Toribio) on June 10. The remaining eight, including Hassan, refused and decided to contest their deportation. They remained in custody at in

Ramla Ramla (), also known as Ramle (, ), is a city in the Central District of Israel. Ramle is one of Israel's mixed cities, with significant numbers of both Jews and Arabs. The city was founded in the early 8th century CE by the Umayyad caliph S ...

during the legal proceedings. Dr. Baptiste André who was also on board alleges that Israeli authorities mocked the passengers and abused them by deliberately depriving passengers of sleep, including Thunberg. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs later confirmed that the operation was carried out under Israeli authority. The Foreign Ministry said that the ship's aid supplies would be transferred to Gaza through "real humanitarian channels". Israel's defence minister

Israel Katz Israel Katz (; born 21 September 1955) is an Israeli politician and member of the Knesset for Likud currently serving as Ministry of Defense (Israel), Minister of Defense and a member of the Security Cabinet of Israel. Katz has been recognized ...

, who called Thunberg "

antisemitic Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

", ordered that the flotilla members be shown the film '' Bearing Witness to the October 7th Massacre''. Katz later said that the flotilla members refused to watch the film. He had planned to document them watching the film, but was overruled by both the

Israeli Foreign Ministry The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (; ) is one of the most important ministries in the Israeli government. The ministry's role is to implement Israel's foreign policy, and promote economic, cultural, and scientific relations with other c ...

as well as the Office of the Prime Minister. Ávila was held in

solitary confinement Solitary confinement (also shortened to solitary) is a form of imprisonment in which an incarcerated person lives in a single Prison cell, cell with little or no contact with other people. It is a punitive tool used within the prison system to ...

after going on a

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...

. He was released on 12 June and deported to Brazil. As of 12 June, two French citizens remain in Israel awaiting deportation according to Adalah.

Responses

To voyage

Israel

The

called the flotilla a "selfie yacht of celebrities," and characterized the mission as a "stunt" and called Thunberg an "antisemite". On 4 June, the

(IDF) told ''

The Jerusalem Post ''The Jerusalem Post'' is an English language, English-language Israeli broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, Israel, founded in 1932 during the Mandate for Palestine, British Mandate of Mandatory Palestine, Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''Th ...

'' that the flotilla would not be allowed to dock in Gaza. On 9 June, Defense Minister

reiterated this:

International

On 2 June, UN experts called for safe passage for the ''Madleen''. Ireland's

deputy prime minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...

and

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

Simon Harris Simon Harris (born 17 October 1986) is an Irish Fine Gael politician serving as Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Minister for Defence since January 2025, having previously served as Taoiseach from 2024 to 2025. He has ...

, referred to the vessel ''Madleen'' as "an incredible effort to get food and medicine to the starving people of Gaza"; British Member of Parliament

Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who has been Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington North (UK Parliament constituency), Islington North since 1983. Now an Independent ...

also expressed his support for the voyage.

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin Graham (; born July 9, 1955) is an American politician and attorney serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003. A membe ...

wrote on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

, "Hope Greta and her friends can swim!" This was perceived as threatening military action against the flotilla. Graham's comment was criticised by journalist

Mehdi Hasan Mehdi Raza Hasan ( ; born July 1979) is a British and American progressive broadcaster, writer, and founder of the media company Zeteo. He presented ''The Mehdi Hasan Show'' on Peacock from October 2020 and on MSNBC from February 2021 until ...

as "sociopathic, unhinged, and criminal".

To interception

Freedom Flotilla Coalition

In a press release, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said the raid was "blatantly violat nginternational law and def

ing Ing, ING or ing may refer to: Art and media * '' ...ing'', a 2003 Korean film * i.n.g, a Taiwanese girl group * The Ing, a race of dark creatures in the 2004 video game '' Metroid Prime 2: Echoes'' * "Ing", the first song on The Roches' 199 ...

the ICJ's binding orders requiring unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza". It said the detention of its activists was "arbitrary, unlawful, and tmust end immediately." It also released to social media a video Greta Thunberg had pre-recorded should Israel raid the flotilla. In a press release the following day, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition characterized the detainment of their activists as a "forcibl abduct on.

Israel

After seizing the boat, the Israeli government said that the flotilla's cargo was equivalent to less than a full truckload of aid, and an Israeli government spokesperson mocked the flotilla as "

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

activism". Former Israeli Navy Commander

Eli Marom Eliezer (Eli) Marom ("Chayni") (, born in 1955, Sde Eliezer, Upper Galilee, Israel) is the former Commander of the Israeli Navy serving from 2007 to 2011. As of 2015 he serves as the head of the Israel Airports Authority. Born in Sde Eliezer, Is ...

described Israel's handling of the Gaza Freedom flotilla as a diplomatic failure, stating that it should have been resolved through diplomacy rather than military action, as he said had been done in previous cases. Marom said that the

Gaza blockade The restrictions on movement and goods in Gaza imposed by Israel date to the early 1990s. After Hamas took over in 2007, Israel significantly intensified existing movement restrictions and imposed a complete blockade on the movement of good ...

, imposed in 2007 and "recognized by the whole world", is essential to Israel's security. He said that allowing the ship through undermined the blockade and could open the door to Iranian vessels reaching Gaza within months. Israeli human rights organization Adalah said, "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 the ship was in international waters and that its destination was the "territorial waters of the state of Palestine."

Hamas

Hamas described the naval blockade as an instance of "

state terrorism State terrorism is terrorism conducted by a state against its own citizens or another state's citizens. It contrasts with '' state-sponsored terrorism'', in which a violent non-state actor conducts an act of terror under sponsorship of a state. ...

". It said the interception of the ''Madleen'' was "a flagrant violation of international law, and an attack on civilian volunteers acting out of humanitarian motives".

International

The

Council on American–Islamic Relations A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

said the interception of the ''Madleen'' by the Israeli military was a "blatant act of international

piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

and state terrorism." The human rights organization

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

described Israel's seizure of the ''Madleen'' and detention of its crew as illegal. US President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

said that Greta Thunberg, who was a passenger on the ''Madleen'', was "strange" and "angry", and "recommended" her to take "an

anger management Anger management is a psycho-therapeutic program for anger prevention and control. It has been described as deploying anger successfully.Schwarts, Gil. July 2006. Anger Management', July 2006 The Office Politic. Men's Health magazine. Emmaus, PA: ...

class". Upon arriving in Paris, following her deportation from Israel, Thunberg responded, "I think the world needs a lot more young angry women, to be honest. Especially with everything going on right now." While addressing the

Knesset The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel. The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...

on 11 June 2025, Argentine President

Javier Milei Javier Gerardo Milei (born 22 October 1970) is an Argentine politician and economist who has served as President of Argentina since 2023. Milei also served as a national deputy representing the City of Buenos Aires for the party La Libertad ...

accused Thunberg of being a "mercenary of international leftist activism" and further accused Thunberg of seeking press and cameras. The Brazilian Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs formally requested Ávila's release, called the interception a "flagrant violation of international law" and condemned "the continuation of severe restrictions, in violation of international humanitarian law, on the entry of basic subsistence items into the State of Palestine."

Notes

References

Works cited

* * *

External links

Press release re the 2025 Gaza Freedom Flotilla
''freedomflotilla.org''
Madleen Tracker
''freedomflotilla.org'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaza Freedom Flotilla, 2025 2025 in international relations Blockade of the Gaza Strip Political activism Gaza Strip humanitarian crisis Maritime incidents in 2025 Greta Thunberg International maritime incidents Palestinian solidarity movement Israeli war crimes

Background

Voyage

Israeli interception, boarding, and detention of passengers

Responses

To voyage

Israel

International

To interception

Freedom Flotilla Coalition

Israel

Hamas

International

See also

Notes

References

Works cited

External links