On 1 June 2025, 12 people set sail on the Madleen with the goal of breaking Israel’s unlawful blockade on the occupied Gaza Strip and delivering desperately needed food and medical supplies to Gaza.
For almost 18 years, Israeli authorities have maintained an unlawful blockade of Gaza that restricts access to essential supplies and services. On 2 March 2025, they tightened the blockade and in doing so, imposed a total siege on Gaza. Israel’s use of starvation of civilians and siege tactics are part of a calculated plan to bring about the physical destruction of Palestinians in Gaza. This is genocide.
The Madleen and its crew attempted to challenge Israel’s genocide and this cruel and inhumane policy of using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare and collective punishment. They were unarmed and acting with full accordance with international and maritime law. And yet, eight days into their mission, they were intercepted in international waters and unlawfully detained by Israeli forces. Their detention is arbitrary and without any legal basis.
Israel’s actions against the flotilla are yet another demonstration of how far it will go to silence global solidary with Palestinians and continue its genocide and inhuman and collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza.
Who was on board the Madleen?
There were 12 people on board the Madleen, each with diverse backgrounds ranging from activism, politics and journalism. All crewmates are members of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. Among them were Greta Thunberg, Swedish climate campaigner known for starting the Fridays for Future climate strikes, and Rima Hassan, a Member of the European Parliament.
I am aboard Madleen because silence is not neutrality—it is complicity. The Palestinian people in Gaza are being starved and slaughtered, and the world watches. This ship is not just carrying aid, it is carrying a demand: End the blockade. End the genocide.
Rima Hassan
We are seeing a systematic starvation of 2 million people. The world cannot be silent bystanders. Every single one of us has a moral obligation to do everything we can to fight for a free Palestine.
Greta Thunberg
What is the Freedom Flotilla Coalition?
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition is a grassroots alliance of international civil society organizations that advocates for the rights of Palestinians and challenges Israel’s nearly 18-year-long naval blockade of Gaza. The coalition was formed in 2010, when a flotilla of six ships departed from Türkiye on a similar mission to break Israel’s naval blockade in Gaza.
One of the ships, the Mavi Marmara, was violently intercepted by Israeli forces, who killed 10 crew members. A UN investigation determined that all the deaths were caused by gunshot and that six of the dead were the victims of summary executions. No further accountability could be pursued due to Israel’s lack of cooperation.
Since then, the coalition has continued to organize peaceful, nonviolent missions to break the siege and call global attention to the suffering of Palestinians.
What was the coalition’s goal?
The mission of the Madleen was twofold: to deliver modest but essential humanitarian supplies, and to send a powerful message of solidarity to Palestinians. Although the aid onboard could not meet the scale of Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, it symbolized the coalition’s refusal to stand by while a population is systematically starved and bombed into submission and states remained inactive.
The crew understood the risks. They knew they would likely be intercepted before reaching Gaza. But they believed the cost of silence was far greater than threats to their personal safety and security. Through livestreams, social media and press interviews, they worked to amplify the voices of Palestinians and expose Israel’s violations of international law in real time.
The actions taken by the Madleen’s crew are honourable, but they should have been unnecessary. They should not have had to risk their lives to awaken the conscience of the international community from its inaction in the face Israel’s crimes. Concrete steps must be taken to force Israel to end its genocide against Palestinians in Gaza starting with lifting its illegal blockade, open land crossings and allow the delivery of aid to resume as also ordered by the International Court of Justice in January 2024.
Was this the coalition’s first attempt to deliver aid in 2025?
No, this was the group’s second attempt to reach Gaza this year.
On its first mission, the group set off on a humanitarian aid ship called the Conscience, launching from Malta on 2 May 2025. However, the ship was attacked by drones after travelling about 30km off Malta’s coast, which caused a fire and substantial damage to the hull. The crew were forced to return to shore.
No one has accepted responsibility for the attack on the Conscience. The coalition claim that Israel was behind the attack, but there have not been further investigations to verify this.
When did Israel start blocking aid from entering Gaza?
Israel has been imposing a land, sea and air blockade on the occupied Gaza Strip since 2007. It controls all entry points to the Gaza Strip, including the territory’s southern border with Egypt, known as the Rafah Crossing. This has allowed them to implement multiple aid blockades, by both land and sea, throughout their occupation of Palestinian territory.
The blockade has served as a key tool in Israel’s system of apartheid against Palestinians and entrenched the fragmentation of the Palestinian territory, isolating the Gaza Strip from the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Since 7 October 2023, severe restrictions on access to and entry of supplies and services have been repeatedly imposed by Israel as part of its genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and as a form of collective punishment, despite numerous orders by the International Court of Justice to Israel to allow unfettered access to aid.
On 2 March 2025, these restrictions were tightened by Israel, resulting in a full siege. On 9 March, they cut power to Gaza’s main desalination plant, further limiting access to clean water. Bombing resumed on 18 March following a temporary ceasefire.
The complete siege lasted for 77 days. Since then, dozens of Palestinians have been killed or injured while trying to access the little aid that has been allowed in under Israel’s newly established militarized humanitarian aid scheme.
Is Israel’s aid blockade legal?
Israel’s aid blockade is a flagrant violation of international law and the Geneva Conventions.
It is a blatant form of unlawful collective punishment. By blocking supplies that are critical to the survival of the population, Israel is continuing its policy of destruction on Palestinian people, using starvation of civilians as a weapon of war.
As the International Court of Justice has affirmed, Israel must lift the blockade and allow unhindered humanitarian access.
In December 2024, we presented evidence of Israel’s genocide against Palestinians. By imposing a blockade on humanitarian aid, Israel is deliberately fuelling the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and making a calculated effort to bring about the physical destruction of Palestinians in Gaza, an act that is prohibited under the Genocide Convention.
How did Israel intercept the Freedom Flotilla?
Israeli naval forces intercepted the Madleen at 3:02 am CET in international waters, well outside Israel’s territorial jurisdiction. The operation was carried out in the middle of the night and far from land, putting the safety of those on the boat at risk.
Israel’s intervention, the detention of the crew and the confiscation of the aid were without any lawful basis. The Madleen’s crew was acting in accordance with international law and are protected as human rights defenders and deliverers of humanitarian aid.
What happens now?
Four of the Madleen’s crew have been deported from Israel and eight remain arbitrarily detained by Israel. Israel handled the custody of all 12 crewmates as though they had entered the country illegally, even though they were forcibly abducted from international waters and brought to Israel against their will. Their journey continues, as does Israel’s blockade.
Through its illegal blockade, Israel has consistently and deliberately restricted the entry of food, medicine and other humanitarian aid to the occupied Gaza Strip. Israel’s blockade is a form of collective punishment and is a key means through which it is inflicting genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. These acts are illegal, inhumane, cruel and deadly. In January 2024, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to allow unimpeded flow of aid to prevent genocide. As the occupying power, Israel is obligated to ensure the survival and welfare of Gaza’s civilian population, not strangle it.
Header image: Eight members of the Madleen crew, including Greta Thunberg, pose for a photo. They are wearing t-shirts that read ‘Break the Siege’ and ‘Ship to Gaza’. Photo by Fabrizio Villa/Getty Images.
