Israel Attacks Civilian Ship Madleen, 12 Activists Arrested
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition confirms that its civilian vessel, Madleen, carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza , was forcibly intercepted by the Israeli military at 03:02 CET in international waters at 31.95236° N, 32.38880° E. " The vessel was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew was kidnapped and its humanitarian cargo, including infant formula, food and medical supplies, was confiscated," the coalition said in a statement.
“Israel has no legal authority to detain international aid workers on the Madleen,” said Huwaida Arraf , a human rights lawyer and organizer of the Freedom Flotilla. “This seizure is a flagrant violation of international law and violates binding orders from the International Court of Justice requiring unfettered humanitarian access to Gaza. These aid workers are not subject to Israeli jurisdiction and cannot be criminalized for delivering aid or challenging an illegal blockade: their detention is arbitrary, unlawful and must end immediately.”
Israel is once again acting with complete impunity. It has defied binding orders from the International Court of Justice to allow unfettered humanitarian access to Gaza, ignored international laws protecting civilian shipping, and rejected the pleas of millions of people around the world calling for an end to the siege and genocide.
“This latest act of aggression against the Freedom Flotilla follows Israel’s unpunished drone attack on our previous vessel, the Conscience, which left four civilian volunteers injured and the vessel in flames in European waters,” the statement continued. “That unprovoked attack violated international law. Now Israel has again escalated its attacks by targeting another peaceful civilian vessel.”
“The governments of the world were silent when the Conscience was bombed. Now Israel is testing that silence again,” said Tan Safi , another organizer of the Freedom Flotilla. “Every hour without consequences encourages Israel to escalate its attacks on civilians, humanitarian workers and the very foundations of international law.”
Activists from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition board the Madleen vessel before setting sail for Gaza from the Sicilian port of Catania, Italy, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Salvatore Cavalli/LaPresse)
- Tags:
- Gaza
- hamas
- Israel
- Gaza Strip
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