Activists of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, board the Madleen boat pose for an image holding the Palestinian flag. Photo courtesy of Freedom Flotilla Coalition Facebook page.
Israeli forces seized the Madleen boat early Monday, about 200 kilometres off Gaza’s coast. All 12 activists aboard were detained and transferred to the port of Ashdod.
On Tuesday, Israel’s Detention Review Tribunal upheld orders to keep eight international volunteers in custody until their deportation.
Under Israeli law, those facing deportation can be detained for up to 72 hours unless they agree to leave earlier.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which organized the voyage, condemned Israel’s interception in international waters as a breach of international law.
The group said Tel Aviv is treating all 12 activists as if they “illegally entered” Israel, despite being seized forcibly from international waters.
Four of the Madleen 12, including renowned Swiss climate activist Greta Thunberg and Egyptian-French Al Jazeera journalist Omar Faiad, have been deported after agreeing to leave.
The remaining eight, including French-Palestinian member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan, are held at Givon prison in Ramle, where the coalition describes their detention as unlawful, politically motivated, and in violation of international law.
According to Israel Today, the detainees are provided with official prison uniforms and some necessities, including personal hygiene items like soap and toothbrushes—items often denied to Palestinian prisoners.
However, on Monday, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir issued instructions preventing the prison authorities from allowing communication or media devices, such as radios and televisions, in the cells where the activists are held.
According to Omar Faiad’s testimony on Al Jazeera, the Madleen activists endured verbal and psychological abuse during their capture.
Rima Hassan, for example, was threatened with physical violence by an Israeli interrogator who warned that if she refused to sign deportation papers, they would smash her head against a wall and question her “their way.”
Meanwhile, Greta Thunberg, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, was deliberately kept awake by an assigned officer, causing her neurological distress from prolonged sensory and physical overstimulation.
One detainee, Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila, has been on a hunger and water strike since early Tuesday.
Others report poor detention conditions, including bed bugs and unsafe tap water.
At a tribunal hearing, lawyers from Adalah argued that Israel’s seizure of the boat, detention of peaceful activists, and the ongoing blockade of Gaza violate international law.
They stressed that the Gaza blockade amounts to collective punishment and breaches provisional measures from the International Court of Justice in the South Africa v. Israel genocide case.
Adalah also challenged Israel’s jurisdiction, noting the activists were captured in international waters, and called for their immediate release, return to the Madleen, and the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The activists told the tribunal that Israeli forces had forcibly taken them. They added that their mission was humanitarian—to deliver aid and break the siege on Gaza, which they say has no legal basis under international law.
According to the Freedom Flotilla website, the Madleen 12’s current status is as follows:
- Baptiste Andre (France) – Deported
- Greta Thunberg (Sweden) – Deported
- Sergio Toribio (Spain) – Deported
- Omar Faiad (France) – Deported
- Suayb Ordu (Turkey) – Detained
- Mark van Rennes (Netherlands) – Detained
- Pascal Maurieras (France) – Detained
- Reva Viard (France) – Detained
- Rima Hassan (France) – Detained
- Thiago Ávila (Brazil) – Detained
- Yanis Mhamdi (France) – Detained
- Yasemin Acar (Germany) – Detained
Short link: