Madleen aid ship under threat: Can it deliver vital supplies to Gaza?
Sign with the slogan All Eyes On Deck, depicting the humanitarian ship Madleen on its way to Gaza during a demonstration organized by political, trade union and community organizations in support of the Palestinian people in the face of Israel s blockade of the Gaza Strip in Toulouse, southwest France.
Image: Pat Batard / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP
A humanitarian vessel that is on course for Gaza is under drone surveillance and facing threats of seizure from Israeli authorities, raising alarm among international observers and human rights organisations.
The Madleen, operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), set sail earlier this week carrying food, medical supplies, and 12 international activists, including Swedish climate advocate Greta Thunberg and French-Palestinian Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan.
While we associate Thunberg with climate change, she and her crew are on a new and crucial mission: to break Israel's more than 90-day-long total blockade of Gaza and deliver critical aid to a population facing catastrophic shortages.
There are 12 activists on board the Madleen:
Greta Thunberg – Swedish climate activist
Rima Hassan – French-Palestinian Member of European Parliament
Yasemin Acar – Germany
Omar Faiad – France
Pascal Maurieras – France
Marco van Rennes – The Netherlands
Reva Viard – France
Yanis Mhamdi – France
Suayb Ordu – Turkiye
Sergio Toribio – Spain
Baptiste Andre – France
Thiago Avila – Brazil
As the boat approached the eastern Mediterranean, the crew reported being repeatedly shadowed by a Heron UAV, which is a high-altitude, long-endurance surveillance drone manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries.
The drone is believed to be operated by the Greek coastguard under a bilateral agreement with Israel.
According to Ávila, the drone passed directly above the boat. 'This is a critical threat, especially considering a Freedom Flotilla vessel was bombed under similar circumstances last month off the coast of Malta.'
Tensions escalated further on Wednesday, when Israeli media reported that senior defence officials were preparing to intercept the Madleen and potentially arrest the crew. 'We are prepared,' said Israeli military spokesperson Effie Defrin in an interview with The Times, adding that they "will act accordingly.'
Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz is expected to announce a formal decision regarding the ship's fate within days.
The Jerusalem Post reported that the vessel will be barred from entering Gazan waters, regardless of its civilian and humanitarian nature.
Where is the Madleen ship now?
At the time of publishing, the Madleen is located south of Crete, where it made a temporary diversion to rescue four Sudanese asylum seekers from a distressed vessel. The ship's crew includes trained rescue personnel and is operating in communication with search-and-rescue NGOs. The rescued individuals, who fled violence in Sudan, are at risk of being returned to Libya — a move the FFC says would be illegal under international refugee protections.
Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and several UN special rapporteurs, have called for the Madleen's safe passage, warning that any attempt to sabotage or intercept the vessel could amount to a violation of international humanitarian law.
'This is a civilian-led mission delivering life-saving aid,' Amnesty International France stated. 'Any attack or interference would be a knowing and unlawful assault on civilians.'
Humanitarian organisations are not the only ones speaking out. An online campaign organised by the FFC has generated nearly 500,000 letters demanding that Israel allow the ship to proceed unimpeded.
Despite the growing threats, the crew insists the mission will continue. 'We are carrying food, not weapons,' said Ávila. 'But we are being tracked as if we are a military target. This is about saving lives — and we are being threatened for that.'
IOL NEWS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Eyewitness News
an hour ago
- Eyewitness News
Activist aid ship nears Gaza after reaching Egypt coast: organisers
CAIRO, Egypt - An aid ship with 12 activists on board, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, has reached the Egyptian coast and is nearing the besieged Palestinian territory, organisers said on Saturday. The Madleen, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, left Sicily last week with a cargo of relief supplies "to break Israel's blockade on Gaza". "We are now sailing off the Egyptian coast," German human rights activist Yasemin Acar told AFP. "We are all good," she added. In a statement from London on Saturday, the International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza -- a member organisation of the flotilla coalition -- said the ship had entered Egyptian waters. The group said it remains in contact with international legal and human rights bodies to ensure the safety of those on board, warning that any interception would constitute "a blatant violation of international humanitarian law". European parliament member Rima Hassan, who is on board the vessel, urged governments to "guarantee safe passage for the Freedom Flotilla." The Palestinian territory was under Israeli naval blockade even before the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas that sparked the Gaza war and Israel has enforced its blockade with military action in the past. A 2010 commando raid on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, which was part of a similar aid flotilla trying to breach the blockade, left 10 civilians dead. In May, another Freedom Flotilla ship, the Conscience, reported coming under drone attack while en route for Gaza, prompting Cyprus and Malta to send rescue vessels in response to its distress call. There were no reports of any casualties. Earlier in its voyage, the Madleen changed course near the Greek island of Crete after receiving a distress signal from a sinking migrant boat. Activists rescued four Sudanese migrants who had jumped into the sea to avoid being returned to Libya. The four were later transferred to an EU Frontex vessel. Launched in 2010, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition is a coalition of groups opposed to the blockade on humanitarian aid for Gaza that Israel imposed on March 2 and has only partially eased since. Israel has faced mounting international condemnation over the resulting humanitarian crisis in the territory, where the United Nations has warned the entire population of more than two million is at risk of famine.
The Citizen
an hour ago
- The Citizen
‘Is it greed or jealousy?': Ramaphosa fires back at critics of BEE, Transformation Fund
The president pushed back against the argument that BEE is a cost to the economy. President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on 16 September 2022. Picture: AFP / Saul Loeb President Cyril Ramaphosa has come out swinging against critics of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE), questioning whether their opposition is rooted in 'greed' or 'jealousy'. Ramaphosa was speaking during his keynote address at the gala dinner of the Black Business Council's annual summit held at the Radisson Hotel and Convention Centre in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni. The two-day summit concluded on Friday. National dialogue and socioeconomic challenges Delivering his speech, Ramaphosa reiterated the government's commitment to hosting a national dialogue to develop solutions for the country's pressing issues. 'Some of these challenges manifest themselves in a number of problems that people not only in our country are facing. 'Cost of living crises are widespread and they impact largely disproportionately on poor people and even middle-income households,' he said. ALSO READ: DA is crippling the government's transformation agenda – labour minister The president acknowledged that while unemployment is a global issue, South Africa is particularly affected. 'We have the worst unemployment problem, especially youth unemployment.' He highlighted the mistrust in institutions, attributing it to high levels of corruption and state capture. Economic growth through transformation Ramaphosa emphasised the potential of the government of national unity (GNU) in driving transformation. He said growth of the country's economy will happen through transformation. 'That is the reality. Transformation is vital if growth is to be meaningful and is to be inclusive as well as to be sustainable. 'There are those who say, dump transformation, dump the black economic empowerment. READ MORE: Affirmative-action measures must 'not go too far', argues DA in court 'Dump it because it is inhibiting growth and I argue that it is what happened in the past that we have to transform and to change, and we can only do so through transformation to grow our economy.' He referred to the Constitution as the foundation for transformation policies. 'The heart of our Constitution is around the equality clause, which says that steps and measures and laws must be made to redress the injustices of our past and we will not get away from that,' the president told delegates. 'It is what happened in the past that we must never forget, for it must inform what we need to do now, and it must inspire what we should do in the future. That's what we need to do and it's not limited to a few laws, policies or regulations.' Watch Ramaphosa's speech below: Ramaphosa defends BEE Ramaphosa stated that legislative frameworks like the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) and the Employment Equity Act are crucial tools for driving transformation. Despite progress in narrowing the equality gap, the president pointed out that significant disparities remain – with the average income of white households still nearly five times higher than that of black African households. READ MORE: Employment Equity Bill has 'shortcomings' Ramaphosa appeared to take a swipe at the Democratic Alliance (DA), which is challenging the Employment Equity Act in court. 'Quite often they are the ones who complain about employment equity, black economic empowerment and you often wonder, what is it? 'Is it greed that is driving them or is it jealousy because it should be prosper thy neighbor that should drive them. They should be applauding. 'Yes, people are also moving up the scale and they are often the very first to complain and even to take government to court.' Transformation Fund Ramaphosa called for the ownership, management, and control of key industries, such as construction, to reflect South Africa's demographics. 'We cannot separate our drive for inclusive growth for the drive for economic empowerment. 'And I stress this because the noises that continue to be made against empowerment and transformation are worrying.' Addressing criticism of the Transformation Fund, Ramaphosa reaffirmed the government's commitment to its implementation. 'We suddenly heard negative voices about the establishment of the Transformation Fund and we have said we are forging ahead with the establishment of this fund and we are going to allocate money.' READ MORE: What problem does government want to solve with R100bn Transformation Fund? He emphasised that access to finance remains a key barrier for black-owned businesses: 'We therefore as government must make sure that there is access to funding for black-owned businesses.' Ramaphosa also pushed back against the argument that BEE is a cost to the economy. 'There are those who say it is costing the economy much too much. And when you ask them in what way it is costing the economy, they are not able to explain. We need to demonstrate that it is an investment in the economy.'
eNCA
2 hours ago
- eNCA
EU states look to trim compensation for flight delays
BRUSSELS - EU countries have backed a plan to allow airlines to incur longer flight delays before having to compensate passengers -- a contested move intended to be offset by several new passenger rights. At present, passengers in Europe have a right to between 250 and 600 euros ($285-685) in compensation, depending on flight distance, for delays of three hours or more. But airlines complain that it leaves them a hefty bill, and often leads them to cancel flights rather than run them with a long delay, due to knock-on effects on flight schedules. A majority of EU states agreed late Thursday to change the rules, overcoming opposition from Germany in particular, following hours of painstaking negotiations in Luxembourg. Under the new system, the compensation threshold would increase to four hours for flights of up to 3,500 kilometres (2,175 miles), or connecting cities inside the European Union, with its amount set at 300 euros. For longer flights, the right to compensation of 500 euros would kick in after a six-hour delay. The European Consumer Organisation BEUC slammed the plan, saying the "new eligibility thresholds will deprive the majority of passengers from their compensation rights", as most delays are between two and four hours. It urged European lawmakers -- who have yet to approve the text -- to uphold passengers' rights. The compromise did not satisfy airlines either, with the umbrella group Airlines for Europe (A4E) -- which includes Air France-KLM, Lufthansa, Ryanair and easyJet -- complaining that it "introduced even more complexity" than the initial European Commission plan. But a spokesperson for the French aviation industry federation called it a "step forward" for consumers. The rules changes "clarify the law and will avoid many recurrent court disputes," said the spokesperson, Laurent Timset. Poland's infrastructure minister Dariusz Klimczak, whose country currently holds the EU presidency, meanwhile cheered the creation of "over 30 new rights" for passengers, in a statement announcing the deal. Those include a "right to be rerouted" at the earliest opportunity, including through flights operated by other carriers or alternative transport modes. The plan also creates a system for passengers to be automatically compensated for flights cancelled within 14 days of departure. And it spells out the right to assistance -- refreshments, food, accommodation -- when travel is disrupted. France's transport minister Philippe Tabarot declared himself satisfied with the compromise.
