ISTANBUL
The Israeli army seized the Gaza-bound aid ship Madleen, towing it to Israel, the Foreign Ministry said late Sunday, adding the activists will be deported to their countries.
The ministry said in a statement on X that the vessel “is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries.”
It said earlier that “the maritime zone off the coast of Gaza is closed to unauthorized vessels under a legal naval blockade, consistent with international law.”
“Humanitarian aid is delivered regularly and effectively via different channels and routes and is transferred through established distribution mechanisms,” it added.
On May 27, Israel began implementing a controversial plan to distribute aid through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, bypassing UN oversight. Palestinians have denounced the move as a coercive tactic to force displacement from northern to southern Gaza.
Gaza’s Government Media Office said the death toll from the American-Israeli aid distribution sites had risen to 125, with 736 wounded and nine missing since May 27.
According to the office, 13 people were killed and 153 injured Sunday alone in two separate incidents near those locations.
Israeli soldiers kidnapped the activists who were on the Madleen late Sunday, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said.
Earlier, Israeli naval forces boarded the Madleen in international waters, according to the coalition, which said that communication with the vessel has been lost.
Live footage earlier showed Israeli boats surrounding the ship with soldiers ordering activists onboard to raise their hands.
French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan said that sirens were triggered aboard the Madleen after drones sprayed ship with a white liquid.
UN Rapporteur Francesca Albanese confirmed that two drones were seen overhead, describing them as “the dangerous ones.”
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said the navy instructed the Madleen to change course due to its approach toward what it called a “restricted area.”
As part of the latest mission organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition to break the Israeli blockade on Gaza and deliver aid to the region, the 18-meter Madleen set sail for Gaza on June 1 from the Port of San Giovanni Li Cuti in Catania, Sicily, Italy.
A total of 12 people are on board the Madleen, including 11 activists and one journalist.
Among them are Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, French-Palestinian Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan, Yasemin Acar from Germany, Baptiste Andre, Pascal Maurieras, Yanis Mhamdi and Reva Viard from France, Thiago Avila from Brazil; Suayb Ordu from Türkiye, Sergio Toribio from Spain, Marco van Rennes from the Netherlands and Omar Faiad, a journalist with Al Jazeera Mubasher, also from France.
The ship is carrying urgently needed supplies for the people of Gaza, including baby formula, flour, rice, diapers, women’s sanitary products, water desalination kits, medical supplies, crutches and children’s prosthetics, according to its organizers.
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