Israeli forces kidnap volunteers on Gaza-bound ship Madleen: Freedom Flotilla Coalition

ISTANBUL

Israeli soldiers kidnapped the activists onboard the Gaza-bound aid ship Madleen late Sunday, said the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.

“SOS! the volunteers on 'Madleen' have been kidnapped by Israeli forces,” the international NGO, which organized the mission, said on Telegram.

UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, who was in phone contact with the ship’s captain, said: “At the time the boat was intercepted, no one is wounded — the captain asked me to record.”

She reported hearing Israeli soldiers speaking in the background before the line was cut off.

“I lost connection with the captain as he was telling me that another boat is approaching,” she added.

Earlier, Israeli naval forces boarded the Madleen in international waters, according to the Freedom Flotilla 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.

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 blockade on Gaza and deliver aid to the region, the 18-meter sailing boat 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.