WATCH: 'We are undeterred; we will sail again' vows Freedom Flotilla as Israel intercepts Gaza aid boat Madleen

The FFC said the ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo—including baby formula, food and medical supplies—confiscated.

Video footage from the ship featuring the 12 humanitarian activists and capturing the moment the Israeli military arrived has also been shared.

“Israel has no legal authority to detain international volunteers aboard the Madleen,” said Huwaida Arraf, human rights attorney and Freedom Flotilla organiser.

“This seizure blatantly violates international law and defies the ICJ’s binding orders requiring unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza. These volunteers are not subject to Israeli jurisdiction and cannot be criminalized for delivering aid or challenging an illegal blockade — their detention is arbitrary, unlawful, and must end immediately.”

Onboard the Madleen (in alphabetical order) are: Yasemin Acar – Germany, Baptiste Andre – France, Thiago Avila – Brazil, Omar Faiad – France, Rima Hassan – France, Pascal Maurieras- France, Yanis Mhamdi – France, Şuayb Ordu – Turkey, Greta Thunberg – Sweden, Sergio Toribio – Spain, Marco Van Rennes – The Netherlands and Reva Viard – France.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry posted a video clip of its military onboard the vessel with the peace and aid activists with the text: “All the passengers of the ‘selfie yacht’ are safe and unharmed. They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over.”

In a follow-up social media post, the same Ministry said: “In case you missed it: The ‘selfie yacht’ is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are safe and were provided with sandwiches and water, and are expected to return to their home countries.

“The tiny amount of aid that wasn’t consumed by the ‘celebrities’ will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels. More than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza from Israel within the past two weeks, and close to 11 million meals were transferred by the GHF directly to civilians in Gaza. There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip — they do not involve provocations and selfies.”

FFC however said that Israel “is once again acting with total impunity”.

“It has defied the International Court of Justice’s binding orders to allow unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza, disregarded the international laws protecting civilian navigation, and dismissed the demands of millions worldwide calling for an end to the siege and genocide. “This latest act of aggression against the FFC follows the unpunished Israeli drone attack on our previous vessel, Conscience, which left four civilian volunteers injured and the ship disabled and burning in European waters.

“The world’s governments remained silent when Conscience was bombed. Now Israel is testing that silence again,” said, Tan Safi another Freedom Flotilla organiser. “Every hour without consequences emboldens Israel to escalate its attacks on civilians, aid workers, and the very foundations of international law.”

The FFC also vowed to send more ships: “Governments must fulfill their obligations under international law and stop enabling Israel’s crimes.

"We are undeterred. We will sail again. We will not stop until the siege ends and Palestine is free.”

Named after Gaza’s first and only fisherwoman in 2014, Madleen, the FFC says, symbolises “the unyielding spirit of Palestinian resilience and the growing global resistance to Israel’s use of collective punishment and deliberate starvation policies”.

It was launched last month and onboard are volunteers from multiple countries, among them Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan, and climate justice activist Greta Thunberg.

Fifteen years ago, Israel carried out a deadly attack on the Mavi Marmara. Ten humanitarian volunteers were killed while attempting to deliver aid to Gaza. The Madleen mission has been described by FFC as ‘a continuation of that legacy—a refusal to surrender to silence, fear, or complicity’.

“They are sailing unarmed, united by the shared belief that Palestinians deserve the same rights, freedom, and dignity as all people."

As the boat set out Greta Thunberg said: “We are seeing a systematic starvation of 2 million people. The world cannot be silent bystanders, Every single one of us has a moral obligation to do everything we can to fight for a free Palestine.”