Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has issued a blunt warning to climate activistGreta Thunberg and her fellow campaigners aboard an aid ship heading for Gaza, saying the vessel will not be allowed to break Israel’s naval blockade and urging them to “turn back” or face military intervention.
The boat, named Madleen and operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), set sail from Sicily last week carrying humanitarian aid including rice and baby formula. The 12-person crew includes Thunberg, and other activists: Yasemin Acar, Baptiste Andre, Thiago Avila, Pascal Maurieras, Yanis Mhamdi, Suayb Ordu, Sergio Toribio, Marco van Rennes and Reva Viard.
The crew also includes Omar Faiad, Al Jazeera Mubasher correspondent and French MEP Rima Hassan, who has been barred from entering Israel due to her outspoken support for Palestinian rights.
Greta Thunberg with part of the crew of the ship Madleen, shortly before departure for Gaza. (Photo by Fabrizio Villa/Getty Images)
In a statement posted to social media, Katz said:
“To the antisemitic Greta and her Hamas-propaganda-spouting friends, I say clearly: You’d better turn back, because you will not reach Gaza. Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade or assist terrorist organisations — at sea, in the air, and on land.”
(Image: X)
Katz insisted the blockade is essential for Israeli security, saying its main purpose is to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas. Israeli officials have confirmed that the military is preparing to intercept the Madleen before it can enter Gaza’s territorial waters, with plans to redirect the ship to the Israeli port of Ashdod and deport the crew.
Updates from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese has been providing live updates as the situation unfolds. At 11:18pm UK time, she tweeted:
“BREAKING!!! – 11:18PM UK time; I am with the Flotilla online. They have just been reached by the Israel speedboats — five vessels circling the Flotilla. The captain is instructing the team to stay calm and seated, with their passports and life jackets on. I hear them speaking with Israeli soldiers as I type… telling they are carrying humanitarian aid and go in peace. For the time being they are just circled. I am with them, recording everything.”
BREAKING!!! – 11:18PM UK time; I am with the flotilla online. They have just been reached by the Israel speedboats – 5 vessels circling the flotilla. The captain is instructing the team to stay calm and seated, with their passports and life jackets on. I hear them speaking with…
— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) June 8, 2025
Shortly after, Albanese reported:
“Updates: Two drones over the Madleen. They say they are quadcopters, the dangerous ones. TEAM IS TAKING COVER.”
Updates: Two drones over the Madleen. They say they are quadcopters, the dangerous ones. TEAM IS TAKING COVER. https://t.co/wdObMs28eG
— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) June 8, 2025
Albanese also reported that the Flotilla is being sprayed with white paint by these drones.
12.40am UK time – The drones are pouring white paint on the boat. 12.51 UK time – The flotilla people remain in good spirit but they stay under cover because of the two quadcopters flying over them. These machines are made to kill, not just to surveil.
— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) June 8, 2025
Huwaida Arraf, the co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement, which is supporting the Gaza Freedom Flotilla told Al Jazeera that a chemical was dropped onto the vessel.
“We know that they had two drones hovering above them that dropped some kind of chemical on the vessel. We don’t know what that chemical was,” she said.
“Some people reported that their eyes were burning. Before that, they were also approached by vessels in a very threatening manner.”
Arraf also told Al Jazeera that communication seemed to be cut.
“We have lost all contact with our colleagues on the Madleen.”
Anticipating the possibility of interception, Thunberg recorded a video message on board the Madleen before the night’s events. In the video, she appeals directly for help if the flotilla is stopped:
“My name is Greta Thunberg, and I am from Sweden,” Thunberg said in the video recorded on board the Madleen, before tonight’s events.
“If you see this video, we are being intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces, or forces that support Israel,” she said.
“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.”
SOS! the volunteers on 'Madleen' have been kidnapped by Israeli forces. Pressure their foreign ministries and help us keep them safe!
— Freedom Flotilla Coalition (@GazaFFlotilla) June 9, 2025
Israel’s foreign ministry has posted a video of the activists from the Madleen on X.
The post reads: “All the passengers of the ‘selfie yacht’ are safe and unharmed. They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over.”
All the passengers of the ‘selfie yacht’ are safe and unharmed. They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over. pic.twitter.com/tLZZYcspJO
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) June 9, 2025
Flotilla responds: “We will not be intimidated”
The activists on board have rejected Israel’s accusations and threats. In a statement responding to Katz, the FFC said:
“The statement by Israel’s defence minister is yet another example of Israel threatening the unlawful use of force against civilians – and attempting to justify that violence with smears. We will not be intimidated. The world is watching.”
Thunberg, who has previously denied accusations of antisemitism, explained her motivation in joining the mission:
“We are doing this because, no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying. Because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity. And, no matter how dangerous this mission is, it’s not even near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the livestreamed genocide.”
A recent Instagram Story from Thunberg. (Image: Instagram)
She added on social media:
“This is about the genocide, blockade and systematic oppression of Palestinians. People in Gaza don’t need anyone to come and save them, they need us to amplify and support their struggle for justice, that we end our complicity, put pressure and cut ties with those committing human rights violations. Keep all eyes on deck but above all, all eyes on Palestine and all oppressed people.”
Tensions at sea and on the ground
Activists on board the Madleen reported interference with their GPS and communications prior to their communication being cut. Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila posted yesterday:
“We know what that means, when they start jamming our communication, when they started messing with our devices, it means that they are preparing for an interception or an attack. And we all heard the Israeli media saying that they confirmed the unit S13 of IOF Special Forces, so they are preparing to commit a war crime, and we need to stop that.”
The FFC says the Madleen is a peaceful, civilian vessel carrying only aid and human rights observers. UN experts have called for Israel to allow the ship safe passage, warning that “the world is watching closely and [Israel should] refrain from any act of hostility against the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and its passengers”.
The FFC. (Image: Instagram)
More than 54,000 people have died in Gaza since October 2023, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry.
Aid distribution in Gaza has also turned deadly, with several recent incidents of Palestinians being shot near aid centres, per Reuters. At least four people were killed by Israeli gunfire on Sunday while trying to access food, according to local health officials. Israel says its forces have fired warning shots in some cases, but witnesses and aid groups blame Israeli soldiers for the deaths.
What happens next?
As the Madleen continues its slow approach towards Gaza, the situation remains tense. Israeli officials have made it clear they will not allow the ship to break the blockade, while the activists on board say they are determined to continue their mission and draw attention to the ongoing crisis.
