In a move to break the blockade on the Gaza Strip, the International Committee to Break the Siege announced that the "Madeleine" ship, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, had entered Egyptian waters en route to the besieged Strip.
The Madeleine entered Egyptian waters despite an Israeli threat to bar it from entering. The ship set sail from the port of Catania, Sicily, Italy, on June 1, carrying urgent humanitarian aid and 12 international activists, including renowned Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and Palestinian-origin European Parliament member Rima Hassan.
According to the organizing committee, the Madeleine, an 18-meter sailing ship, is carrying vital supplies including baby formula, flour, rice, diapers, medical supplies, water desalination devices, crutches, and prosthetic limbs for children in a symbolic effort to highlight the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where more than two million Palestinians face the risk of famine due to the tightening Israeli blockade since October 2023.
Sources on board the ship reported that it encountered Israeli interference, including attempts to jam its communication and tracking signals, which the committee described as a "serious threat" to the crew's safety. The committee emphasized that the mission represented "an act of peaceful resistance," with all volunteers trained in the principles of nonviolence.
German activist Yasemin Akar, the coalition's press coordinator, noted that the ship was 116 nautical miles from Gaza on Sunday and expected to reach waters near the enclave by Monday, if it did not face further interference. She added, "We are in international waters, and any attack on a humanitarian ship would be a flagrant violation of international law."
For his part, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz issued explicit threats, declaring that Israel "will not allow any ship to break the naval blockade on Gaza," describing the activists on board the Madeleine as "anti-Semitic" and accusing them of supporting "Hamas propaganda."
In a video statement during a meeting with military commanders, Katz indicated that the Israeli Navy is preparing to intercept the ship, either by preventing it from approaching or by forcibly redirecting it to the port of Ashdod and arresting the activists. He said, "I am giving a clear warning to Greta and her supporters: Go back where you came from, you will not reach Gaza."
This mission comes a month after a drone attack on another coalition ship, the Al-Dameer, off the coast of Malta last May. The attack caused a fire and a hole in the ship's hull. The committee accused Israel of carrying out the attack, but Tel Aviv has not officially commented on it.
In 2010, Israel carried out a deadly attack on the Mavi Marmara, killing 10 Turkish activists and sparking widespread international outrage.
MP Rima Hassan, aboard the ship, confirmed that the mission aims to "open a humanitarian corridor" and highlight the "genocide" being perpetrated against Palestinians. The French government called for ensuring the ship's safety, warning that any escalation would be considered a "war crime."
Britain, whose flag the ship flies, expressed its rejection of any Israeli action that violates international law, indicating its readiness to intervene to protect the crew if necessary.
