Israel has seized the aid ship ‘Madeleine’, operated by the international non-profit organization Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which was heading to Gaza. The ship was seized from international waters and taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod. The ship was carrying food and medical supplies for starving Palestinians.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) said in a statement, “The volunteers of the Madeleine were kidnapped by Israeli forces. The ship was illegally seized, the unarmed civilian sailors were kidnapped, and the baby food and medical supplies were confiscated.”
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese was in contact with the ship’s captain. He said the captain told him that no one was injured when the ship was seized.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed the seizure of the Madeleine. The ministry said the “selfie yacht” and so-called “celebrities” were being brought safely to the Israeli coast. Israel says the operation was being carried out “to create a provocative media drama and gain publicity.”
The ship was carrying 12 human rights activists, including Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, French activist and doctor Baptiste André, Al Jazeera journalist Omar Fayyad, and Palestinian-born European Union member of parliament Rima Hassan. The rest are: Yasemin Achar from Germany, Thiago Avila from Brazil, Pascal Maurieras, Yanis Mohammadi, Sulayb Ordu from Turkey, Sergio Toribio from Spain, Marco von Rennes from the Netherlands and Riva Via from France.
Israel has completely blocked the entry of aid into Gaza since March 2. Several children have died of starvation in such conditions. The ship named ‘Madeleine’ set sail from Catania, Sicily, Italy on June 1 to protest against the blocking of aid.