The UK-flagged sailing yacht Madleen and her twelve person crew, among them activist Greta Thunberg, have been seized and are being detained by Israeli armed forces. At present, their location is still unknown.Sailing yacht Madleen was on its way to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip when it was intercepted by Israeli forces on 9 June 2025, just after 05:30 local time (03:30 BST).
\nAt the time of its seizure, the vessel was sailing lawfully in international waters 110 nautical miles from Gaza. It was heading towards Palestinian territorial waters under a British flag.
\nWhere is the Madleen?
\nAt present, the Madleen\u2019s exact location and expected docking time are still unknown. No contact has been possible with her crew since their detainment, and updates have ceased on her live tracker.
\nIsrael\u2019s defence minister Israel Katz said both the Madleen\u00a0and its crew would be taken to the Israeli port city of Ashdod, around 27km north of the Gaza Strip. Upon their arrival in Ashdod, Katz has instructed that Madleen\u2019s crew be shown footage from the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023. Since then, Israel\u2019s response has been widely denounced as a genocide.
\nThe ship, registered as Barcarole, was renamed Madleen by its crew in honour of Madleen Kulab, Gaza\u2019s first and only known fisherwoman. Photo: Getty
\nThe Madleen\u2019s interception
\nIsraeli military personnel boarded the vessel before it lost signal. Moments before, drones had dropped an unidentified white, paint-like chemical substance on board.
\nIn a video clip from onboard one of the crew comments, \u201cWe are using the Palestine flag to protect us,\u201d before telling the camera, \u201cIt\u2019s burning my eyes, this thing.\u201d
\nFurther video footage since released by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition shows the crew cooperating with Israeli forces, with no physical confrontation occuring between the two parties.
\nIn the video, Brazilian activist Thiago \u00c1vila can be heard saying into a phone, \u201cIt\u2019s very important you know, no one is wounded now. No one was wounded when they boarded our boat.\u201d
\nStill an unnamed woman says, off camera, \u201cIf anything happens to us, this is yet another war crime.\u201d
\nOn their official social channels, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition has previously stated that, \u2018Any attack or interference with the Madleen would constitute a violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), an affront to UK sovereignty, and a breach of international humanitarian law.\u2019
\nPhoto: Getty
\nGreta Thunberg and the Madleen\u2018s crew
\nThe 12 members of Madleen\u2019s crew are: Skipper Reva Viard, Greta Thunberg, Rima Hassan, Yasemin Acar, Thiago Avila, Yanis Mhamdi, Omar Faiad, Sergio Toribio, Baptiste Andre, Suayb Ordu, Mark van Rennes, Pascal Maurieras.
\nIn the hours since the vessel\u2019s seizure, the GFF has released pre-recorded videos of many of these Pro-Palestinian activists urging action in case of their detainment.
\nIn one of these widely circulated clips, Greta Thunberg dons a Keffiyeh (a head dress traditionally worn in the Middle East and a symbol of Palestinian solidarity), stating:
\n\u201cIf you see this video we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli Occupational Forces, or forces that support Israel. I urge all my friends, family, and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible.\u201d
\nThe video was followed by similar clips of the rest of the crew appealing to citizens of their respective countries of origin, which include Brazil, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Turkey.
\nPhoto: Getty
\nThe Gaza Freedom Flotilla
\nFormed in 2010, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition says it works with \u2018civil society partners\u2019, rather than any party, faction or government.
\nThe flotilla was aiming to break an Israeli-imposed sea blockade that has surrounded Gaza since 2007 by sailing through it. The Madleen\u2019s journey was organised and undertaken in full compliance with international, maritime, and humanitarian law.
\nThe Barcarole\/Madleen is an 18 metre schooner built by Van Dam Nordia in 1974. It was motoring at the time of its interception.
\nWhen it set off from the Italian port of Catania, Sicily, on June 1st, Madleen carried an unarmed crew and a small quantity \u2013 which the campaigners defined as a symbolic amount, less than a lorry load \u2013 of humanitarian aid, including items such as rice, medical supplies, and baby formula.
\nIsrael denounced the small amount of aid carried onboard. In a press conference today Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said: \u201cOn the subject of aid, the yacht had a meagre cargo but of course it will be sent into Gaza.\u201d
\nHe added:\u00a0\u201cWhen it comes to this flotilla, it wasn\u2019t a flotilla, it was a selfie yacht. It was Instagram activism.\u201d
\nSailing activism
\nIn a previous incident in May 2010, a Turkish-owned aid vessel, the Mavi Marmara was seized by Israeli forces, who killed 10 passengers on board and left another 30 wounded.\u00a0Mavi Marmara was part of a six-ship aid flotilla also attempting to breach the naval blockade of Gaza, carrying 10,000 tonnes of goods, including school supplies, building materials and two large electricity generators.
\nEnvironmental campaigner Greta Thunberg has previously twice sailed across the Atlantic as part of her activism.
\nIn 2019 she sailed to New York aboard the IMOCA 60 Malizia with Vend\u00e9e Globe skipper Boris Herrmann in order to attend the UN Climate Action Summit without air travel. She then made the return passage back to Europe aboard the catamaran La Vagabonde with crew including Nikki Henderson (a major Yachting World feature).
\nPhoto: Getty
\nGlobal Response to the Madleen\u2018s interception
\nIn a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said, \u201cThis heinous act by the Netanyahu government, which threatens the freedom of navigation and maritime security, once again demonstrates that Israel is acting as a terror state.\u201d
\nFrance is already working to ensure the swift return of French citizens that were onboard.
\nIn a recent post on X, Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, urges the UK government to \u201csecure the immediate release of the vessel and its crew.\u201d According to the BBC, Downing Street has stated that it hopes to resolve the question, \u201csafely with restraint, in line with international humanitarian law\u201d.
\n\u201cEvery Mediterranean port,\u201d Albanese writes on X, \u201cshould send boats with aid, solidarity, and humanity to Gaza. They shall sail together \u2013 united, they will be unstoppable.\u201d
\nOn land, news of the incident has garnered support worldwide, with protests underway to oppose the seizure and detainment of Madleen and her crew and the ongoing occupation of Gaza. To date, at least 54,880 people have been killed by the Israeli forces in Gaza since October 7, 2023, according to the territory\u2019s Hamas-run health ministry.
\nLatest update
\nAccording to Israel\u2019s foreign ministry at around 1500 (BST), sailing yacht Madleen is \u201csafely making its way to the shores of Israel\u201d.
\nA group of pro-Palestinian activists in Ashdod are gathering for a demonstration before her arrival. The yacht\u2019s cargo will be sent to Gaza, while the members of her crew are expected to be deported to their home countries.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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The post Gaza Freedom Flotilla: Greta Thunberg and crew of yacht Madleen detained by Israeli forces appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The UK-flagged sailing yacht Madleen and her twelve person crew, among them activist Greta Thunberg, have been seized and are being detained by Israeli armed forces. At present, their location is still unknown.Sailing yacht Madleen was on its way to … <\/p>\n