- Israel attacked and kidnapped 12 international activists in international waters while they attempted to deliver aid to Gaza, again exposing Israel’s war crime of blocking humanitarian aid into Gaza.
- The governments of the 12 hostages must take action against Israel for kidnapping their citizens from international waters and demand immediate action to end the Israeli war crimes against humanity.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition confirmed that Israel has committed yet another flagrant violation of international law by attacking its civilian ship, Madleen, and kidnapping 12 international activists in international waters, north of Egypt. These individuals were aboard the “Madleen“, a vessel en route to deliver life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza—where Israel has been perpetrating war crime after war crime, systematically starving its population. This brazen act of piracy not only exposes Israel’s ongoing blockade of Gaza as a war crime but also reveals the extent to which Israel controls Western media, silencing voices like Greta Thunberg, once a darling of that same media, when they dare to challenge Israeli impunity.
The Crime in International Waters
The “Madleen” was intercepted by Israeli forces while navigating international waters, a clear breach of maritime law. The activists, including prominent figures like Greta Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament, were on a peaceful mission to deliver aid—rice and baby formula—to a population enduring unimaginable suffering. Instead of allowing this humanitarian gesture, Israeli forces rammed into and boarded the vessel, detained the passengers under gunpoint, and forcibly diverted the ship to Ashdod Port in Israel. Reports indicate that the military sprayed a white substance, jammed communications, played disturbing sounds, and demanded the activists throw their phones into the water, cutting off any chance of real-time reporting. This is not merely an interception; it is a criminal kidnapping, a textbook definition of piracy under international law.
Gaza’s Humanitarian Crisis: A War Crime Exposed
The context of this crime is critical. Gaza, under a systemic genocide and siege for over 600 days, is a humanitarian disaster zone. Israel’s 11-week criminal blockade, imposed since March 2, 2025, has pushed 2.1 million people into a hunger crisis, with 1 in 5 facing starvation, according to a UN-backed report. Dozens of Palestinians have been killed recently while desperately seeking aid, a direct result of Israel’s war crime policy to block any and every essential supply. The “Madleen” mission was a response to this atrocity, an attempt to alleviate suffering in a region where Israel is undeniably committing war crimes.
By attacking the flotilla, Israel has not only admitted to blocking aid but has also demonstrated its willingness to criminalise humanitarian efforts, further entrenching its role as a perpetrator of collective punishment against civilians.
The Hostages: International Victims of Israeli Aggression
The 12 hostages illegally taken by Israel are a diverse group, representing multiple nationalities: Greta Thunberg (Swedish), Rima Hassan (French), Zeno Richardson (British), Huwaida Arraf (American), Ann Wright (American), Charlie Andreasson (Swedish), Lawrence Engmann (Dutch), Jonas Frycklund (Swedish), Yasmin Acar (German), Özlem Çağlar (Turkish), Jens Sigvaldson (Swedish), and Fatima Mohammadi (Iranian). These individuals were not combatants; they were humanitarians trying to deliver aid to a besieged population. Their detention is a blatant act of state terrorism, targeting those who dare to oppose Israel’s illegal policies. The demand to discard their phones and cut the livestream was a deliberate attempt to suppress evidence of this crime, a tactic that underscores Israel’s fear of exposure.
Greta Thunberg’s Silence: Western Media’s Complicity
Greta Thunberg, once celebrated by Western media for her climate activism, has vanished from those same platforms following her activism for Gaza. This absence is not coincidental but a damning indictment of how Israel controls Western media. For years, Thunberg was a global icon, her every word amplified by newspapers, television, and online outlets. Yet, now, as she stands against Israeli war crimes, the silence is deafening. This disparity exposes the hypocrisy and bias of Western media, which prioritises Israeli narratives over human rights and humanitarian aid. The media’s failure to cover this story with the urgency it deserves is a complicit act in Israel’s campaign to whitewash its crimes.
Investigative Insights: Israel’s War on Aid
This incident is not isolated but part of a pattern. Previous attempts by the FFC, such as the “Conscience” vessel, have faced similar aggression, with drone attacks off Malta last month. Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, instructed the IDF to stop the “Madleen,” labeling it a “hate flotilla” and Thunberg as “antisemitic,” a smear tactic to deflect from the real issue: Israel’s illegal blockade and war crimes. The fact that Israel provides detained activists with sandwiches and water upon arrival at Ashdod Port, while showing them propaganda videos of Hamas attacks, is a grotesque attempt to justify their actions, further highlighting the depravity of their strategy.
Holding Israel accountable
The kidnapping of 12 international hostages by Israeli forces for the crime of delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza is a stark reminder of Israel’s impunity. It exposes the blockade as a war crime, the starvation of Gaza’s population as collective punishment, and the control of Western media as a tool to suppress dissent. Greta Thunberg’s silence in Western media is a testament to this control, a betrayal of journalistic integrity. The international community must hold Israel accountable for this piracy, demand the immediate release of the hostages, and end the blockade that is killing Gaza. Failure to do so makes us all complicit in these crimes.
Moreover, the countries of which the hostages are citizens—Sweden, France, Britain, the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, Turkey, and Iran—must hold Israel accountable for this international crime. This event serves as irrefutable evidence that Israel is deliberately and intentionally blocking humanitarian aid into Gaza, a clear war crime under international law. The detention of these citizens in international waters, under threat and duress, is a direct challenge to the sovereignty and rights of these nations. They must consider this act not just as an isolated incident but as part of a broader pattern of Israeli aggression that demands a robust response. The world cannot remain silent while Israel continues its campaign of terror and starvation against Gaza’s population.
