Israel Faces Backlash After Detaining Gaza Bound Yacht With Greta Thunberg On It

On June 9, 2025, a British-flagged yacht named Madleen, carrying 12 activists including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, was intercepted by Israeli naval forces in international waters. The vessel, operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), was attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and challenge Israel’s naval blockade, which has been in place since 2007. The seizure has sparked international outcry, with legal groups and activists accusing Israel of violating international law. 

Here is What You Need to Know

The Madleen set sail from Catania, Sicily, on June 1, carrying a symbolic cargo of humanitarian supplies, including baby formula, rice, flour, medical equipment, and hygiene products. The FFC’s mission was twofold: deliver aid to Gaza’s starving population and draw global attention to the humanitarian crisis in the region, where over 2 million Palestinians face famine risks due to ongoing conflict and a tightened Israeli blockade.

Around 2 a.m. on June 9, approximately 100 miles off Gaza’s coast near Egypt’s Port Said, Israeli forces surrounded the yacht with speedboats and drones. Activists reported that drones sprayed a “white irritant substance” on the vessel, and communications were jammed before Israeli commandos from the elite Shayetet 13 unit boarded the ship. The 12 activists, from countries including Sweden, France, Brazil, Germany, Spain, Turkey, and the Netherlands, were detained, and their phones were confiscated, cutting off contact with the outside world.

Israeli Organization says it'll Pursue Legal Action 

Adalah, a legal center advocating for Arab minority rights in Israel, condemned the seizure, stating that the Madleen never entered Israeli territorial waters and was en route to Palestinian waters. “Adalah demands the immediate disclosure of the activists’ location and legal status, and their access to legal counsel to enable legal representation before Israeli authorities and tribunals,” the group said in an urgent letter to Israeli authorities. Adalah argues that Israel has no legal jurisdiction to seize a vessel in international waters and plans to pursue legal action to secure the activists’ safety and release.

Greta Thunberg and the Freedom Flotilla’s Mission

Among the detained activists is 22-year-old Greta Thunberg, a globally recognized climate activist who has increasingly focused on humanitarian issues. In a pre-recorded video released by the FFC, Thunberg stated, “If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by Israeli occupational forces or forces that support Israel.” The FFC, which has organized similar missions since 2010, emphasized that the activists were unarmed civilians acting in accordance with international maritime, humanitarian, and human rights law.

An Instagram post from the Gaza Freedom Flotilla account called for action, stating, “The Swedish government must protect their citizen! Greta Thunberg has been kidnapped by the Israeli military. Greta is an unarmed civilian on a vessel carrying humanitarian cargo, including baby formula, medical supplies, and other life-saving aid for the besieged population of Gaza. She posed no threat, and was operating in full accordance with international maritime, humanitarian and human rights law.”

Israel’s Response: “A Selfie Yacht”

Israeli authorities have portrayed the Madleen mission as a publicity stunt. At a press conference, government spokesman David Mencer downplayed the vessel’s significance, calling it a “selfie yacht” and accusing the activists of “Instagram activism.” He stated, “On the subject of aid, the yacht had a meagre cargo but of course it will be sent into Gaza. To poor Greta, we say, who is really feeding Gaza and who is feeding their own ego. When it comes to this flotilla, it wasn’t a flotilla, it was a selfie yacht.”