Israel plans to prevent Madleen aid ship from approaching Gaza coast

JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL

Israel plans to prevent the ship Madleen, which set sail from Italy in an attempt to break an Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip, from approaching or docking along the coastal enclave.

According to the public broadcaster KAN, Tel Aviv had initially planned to allow the ship to dock in Gaza as long as it posed no security threat.

But Israel changed its mind now and decided to completely prevent the ship from approaching the territory to avoid “setting a precedent,” KAN said.

On Sunday, the Madleen, affiliated with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), departed from the port of Catania on the island of Sicily in southern Italy, aiming to break the Israeli-imposed blockade on Gaza.

Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz is expected to meet on Thursday with senior military officers to decide on how to respond to the ship and its passengers, said KAN.

“Among the scenarios under consideration are preventing the ship from approaching and leaving it adrift at sea, or having it escorted by the Israeli navy to the port of Ashdod and arresting the activists there,” the broadcaster said.

Aboard the ship are volunteers from several countries, including French-Palestinian members of the European Parliament Rima Hassan and Greta Thunberg.

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.

“This is a peaceful act of civil resistance. All volunteers and crew aboard Madleen are trained in nonviolence,” FFC said in a statement on Monday.

Speaking before the ship’s departure, Thunberg described the trip as a “symbolic civilian mission” aimed at breaking the Israeli siege.

“If there is even a shred of humanity left, we must fight for Palestine. I am here because it’s a duty,” she said.

The ship is expected to reach Gaza’s coastline in roughly a week, although it faces a high risk of interception by Israeli forces in international waters.

The voyage follows a similar attempt by the FFC in early May, when the coalition’s vessel Conscience was attacked by Israeli drones in international waters. That strike caused a fire and tore a hole in the ship’s hull, according to flotilla sources.

Israel, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a devastating offensive in Gaza since October 2023, killing over 54,600 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among the enclave's more than 2 million inhabitants.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.