The occupants of the activist ship Madleen will return to their countries of origin upon arrival in Israel. This was confirmed by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday. The ship was en route to Gaza but was intercepted in the night from Sunday to Monday.
The Madleen is now sailing to the Israeli port of Ashdod under Israeli orders. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported in an update on X around 4:30 PM (local time) on Monday that the Madleen is still en route.
On board the activist ship of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition are twelve occupants, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and Dutch captain Mark van Rennes. The ship is carrying aid supplies for Gaza.
The occupants had already called on the governments of their home countries via videos to commit to their release. For example, Van Rennes addresses The Hague. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition also says that governments “must fulfill their obligations under international law and stop enabling Israel’s crimes.”
President Emmanuel Macron has already requested that the six French occupants be “returned to France as soon as possible,” says an official from the presidential office who wished to remain anonymous. Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot stated that Paris is actively committed “to facilitating their rapid return to France.”
Aid supplies still going to Gaza
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition announced in the night from Sunday to Monday that the Israeli navy had surrounded the Madleen and that soldiers had boarded. All contact with the ship was then broken. Israeli Minister of Defense Israel Katz wrote earlier on X that the Israeli army would spare no means to stop the ship.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition states in a statement that Israel had no legal authority to detain the occupants. “The ship was unlawfully entered, the unarmed civilian crew members were abducted, and the life-saving cargo, including baby food, food, and medical supplies, was confiscated.”
According to Israel, the aid supplies will still go to Gaza, but then via “real humanitarian channels,” according to X.
‘Violation of international law’
Secretary-General Agnès Callamard of human rights organization Amnesty International also criticizes Israel for intercepting the Madleen. She calls the interception a violation of international law. “They should have allowed the Madleen to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza,” Callamard states on X.
A small number of countries have also expressed criticism. Turkey speaks of a “horrific attack” by the Israeli government, which would once again demonstrate that it behaves like a “terrorist state.” “The intervention of the Israeli armed forces on the ship Madleen while it was in international waters is a clear violation of international law,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs writes.