A Humanitarian Flotilla Under High Tension Near Gaza

The sailing vessel Madleen, chartered by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, is drawing mounting tension as it nears the Gaza Strip. Departing on June 1st from Catania, Sicily, the boat carries a dozen activists from various European and South American countries, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, French MEP Rima Hassan, German human rights advocate Yasemin Acar, and Irish actor Liam Cunningham. The declared mission: to deliver humanitarian aid and “break the Israeli blockade” imposed on the Palestinian territory for years.

On Saturday, the crew announced they had reached the Egyptian coast and were preparing to enter Gaza’s territorial waters. According to organizers, the Madleen’s progress can be tracked in real time. As of 3 p.m. Sunday, it was 165 nautical miles (305 km) from its destination.

Firm Response from Israel

Tel Aviv reacted swiftly. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced on Sunday, June 8, that he had instructed the military to block the vessel from approaching Gaza. In a sharply worded statement, he accused the passengers of being “mouthpieces for Hamas propaganda,” and labeled Greta Thunberg as “antisemitic.” “To those attempting to break the maritime blockade, I say clearly: turn back, you will not reach Gaza,” he declared, asserting that Israel “will not allow any attempt to support a terrorist organization by sea, air, or land.”

According to Israeli authorities, the naval blockade aims to prevent the smuggling of weapons to Hamas, an Islamist group designated as a terrorist organization by the EU and the United States. This incident unfolds against the backdrop of the ongoing war, sparked by Hamas’s deadly incursion into Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,218 people—mostly civilians. Israeli sources say 55 hostages remain in Gaza, with at least 31 confirmed dead. In retaliation, Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 54,700 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry—figures considered credible by the UN.

A Political Echo in Paris

The presence of high-profile figures aboard the Madleen has sparked reactions in France. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the left-wing party La France insoumise, called on the French government to “take responsibility.” On X, he urged the French Navy to “uphold international law and protect our threatened nationals” aboard the vessel.

With a possible confrontation at sea looming, the flotilla highlights the deep fractures in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—between calls for humanitarian intervention and national security imperatives.