TEL AVIV: Israeli naval forces boarded and seized a charity vessel carrying Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, which had tried to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip on Monday.

The Madleen, a British-flagged yacht operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), had aimed to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza and raise international awareness of the humanitarian crisis there.

The vessel was understood to be sailing near the Egyptian coast when it was intercepted. There has been no word from its crew ever since. On Monday night, the FFC told the BBC it was “urgently” working to locate the crew.

“If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by Israeli occupation forces or forces that support Israel,” Thunberg, 22, said in a video released by the FFC, filmed before the vessel was captured.

Greta Thunberg, EU lawmaker among those arrested from vessel boarded, commandeered by Israeli forces in international waters

“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 Israeli foreign ministry confirmed that the vessel was under Israeli control. Israel has called Thunberg an “anti-semite” and dismissed the aid ship as a stunt.

“The ‘selfie yacht’ of the ‘celebrities’ is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries,” the ministry wrote on X.

“All passengers were safe and unharmed. They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over.”

Rima Hassan, a French member of the European parliament who was also on board, posted on X that the crew had been “arrested by the Israeli army in international waters around 2am.”

A photograph showed the crew seated on the boat, all wearing life jackets, with their hands in the air.

Israel’s foreign ministry later distributed a photo showing Thunberg in a green hat and orange life vest, smiling while a soldier held out a sandwich.

According to the BBC, Adelah, the legal centre for Arab minority rights in Israel, says it has sent an urgent letter to the country’s authorities “demanding information on the whereabouts of the 12 activists forcibly detained after Israeli naval forces unlawfully seized the Madleen”.

The Swedish foreign ministry said it was in contact with Israeli authorities.

“Should the need for consular support arise, the embassy and the ministry of foreign affairs will assess how we can best help Greta Thunberg resolve her situation,” a foreign ministry spokesperson said in Stockholm in a written statement.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said the president has asked Israeli authorities to release the French nationals on board as soon as possible.

Hamas condemned the seizure of the boat as “state terrorism” and said it salutes its activists.

The United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, Francesca Alba­nese, has supported the FFC operation and on Sunday, urged other boats to challenge the Gaza blockade.

“Madleen’s journey may have ended, but the mission isn’t over. Every Mediterranean port must send boats with aid & solidarity to Gaza,” she wrote on X.

Amnesty International also issued a statement describing the flotilla’s mission as “indictment of the international community’s failure to put an end to Israel’s inhumane blockade”.

The human rights organisation said that Israel has an “international obligation to ensure safe access to food and essential supplies for Gaza’s civilians”, and that its actions show “chilling contempt” for international law.

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2025