The Israeli commandos on Sunday intercepted Madleen, a vessel operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), carrying essential supplies for civilians in Gaza. The humanitarian ship with Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and 11 other volunteers on board was intercepted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), using drones and unidentified chemicals, according to a video shared by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition on social media.
In a video, the volunteers sit inside the boat wearing life jackets with their hands in the air. No Israel Defense Force soldiers can be seen in the video. According to the time stamp on the footage, the interception happened around 2 am (local time).
In the background, a man can be heard asking volunteers to throw their phones in the water.
The video was captioned as, "URGENT: The 'Madleen' has been attacked."
"Moments ago, drones dropped unidentified chemicals on the Madleen. Immediately after, our peaceful volunteers were rammed and intercepted before Israeli forces boarded the vessel. We lost all contact with them seconds later," the FFC wrote on Instagram.
At 2:50 EEST, the FFC raised a red alert, following an assault on the Madleen and shared the details of the interception. "The Madleen is currently under assault in international waters. Quadcopters are surrounding the ship, spraying it with a white paint-like substance. Communications are jammed, and disturbing sounds are being played over the radio," it said.
In another video, Thiago Avila, a Brazilian citizen and member of the FFC, shared live updates from the ground. Describing the scene, he said, "We have just been attacked by a storm of drones here. They attacked humanitarian aid. They attacked the top of our cockpit. They are right here above us."
He reiterated, "We do not fear them."
In the last video posted by Greta Thunberg, she appeals to the Swedish government for the release of FFC volunteers. She says, "If 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."
The FFC said, Greta is an unarmed civilian on a vessel carrying humanitarian cargo, including baby formula, medical supplies, and other life-saving aid for the besieged population of Gaza. "She posed no threat, and was operating in full accordance with international maritime, humanitarian and human rights law," the post read.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said that Madleen, which it described as the "selfie yacht" of the "celebrities" is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries.
The Ministry accused FFC volunteers of staging a media provocation to "gain publicity". They also alleged that Madleen was carrying less than a single truckload of aid.
"While Greta and others attempted to stage a media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain publicity - and which included less than a single truckload of aid - more than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza from Israel within the past two weeks, and in addition, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has distributed close to 11 million meals directly to civilians in Gaza," the official statement read.
"There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip - they do not involve Instagram selfies. The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the "celebrities" will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels," the Ministry said in a post on X.
This comes hours after Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz, ordered the military to stop Madleen from reaching Gaza. He advised Greta Thunberg to turn back.
"I instructed the IDF to act so that the Madleen ... does not reach Gaza," Katz said in a statement.
"To the antisemitic Greta and her Hamas-propaganda-spouting friends, I say clearly: You'd better turn back, because you will not reach Gaza."
