
Who are the activists on board the Gaza Freedom Flotilla intercepted by Israel?
Israel has intercepted the Gaza Freedom Flotilla attempting to deliver aid to the war-ravaged enclave, detaining the 12 activists onboard and taking them to Israel.
All eyes have been on the vessel, called Madleen, since it departed Catania, Sicily, on June 1. The crew publicised their journey with online trackers and called on their governments to protect them in the event that Israel intercepted them.
The yacht carried a small shipment of humanitarian aid, including rice and baby formula. But who was on board?
Greta Thunberg
Best known as the face of a youth movement demanding action on climate change, the Swedish activist, 22, has frequently spoken up about the war in Gaza – at times dividing her climate movement.
She said before the Madleen departed from Italy that "it falls on us to be the adults in the room … we have to keep our promise to the Palestinians to do everything in our power to protest the genocide".
Rima Hassan
A French member of the European Parliament representing the Green Party. She is of Palestinian descent and has been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli actions towards Palestinians.
Yasemin Acar
A German activist, she has been an advocate for refugees and human rights since the age of 15. She described resistance as being a "way of life", having been born to Kurdish parents from Turkey.
Baptiste Andre
A French activist and doctor is among the crew onboard the Gaza aid flotilla. In a video posted on the flotilla's website, he calls on his friends and family to put pressure on Paris to secure his release.
A Dutch activist is also a member of the flotilla. In a video posted online, he has also called for his country's government to push for his release "and that of all other peaceful activists".
Omar Faiad
A French journalist with Al Jazeera Mubasher. A video posted on social media shows Faiad onboard the vessel with his hands up, after it is intercepted by the Israeli military.
Pascal Maurieras
He is an experienced Freedom Flotilla crew member, having taken part in a voyage in 2018. The French activist and sailor was detained and interrogated by Israel at that time as well.
A French activist who has been involved in various humanitarian causes throughout the years.
Sergio Toribio
The activist from Spain is a member of the Spanish Boat to Gaza the marine conservation group Sea Shepherd. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has been vocal about his support for Palestinians in Gaza.
Suayb Ordu
A Turkish activist who has been involved in volunteer projects and advocacy for Palestine for years. "If any harm comes to me, if they kill me, and they cannot prove it with visual evidence, let it be known that I took no action," he said in a video on Instagram.
Thiago Avila
The Brazilian activist is the co-ordinator of Freedom Flotilla Brazil and the father of a six-month-old daughter.
Yanis Mhamdi
A French journalist and film director at the Blast platform. He previously worked in the occupied West Bank to make a film about settlers.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Middle East Eye
3 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Madleen flotilla: Israeli forces raid Gaza-bound aid ship, detain activists
Israeli forces raided the the Gaza-bound Madleen aid flotilla in international waters on Monday and detained all 12 activists on board. The crew members, including prominent Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan, recorded videos before their abduction. "The crew of the Freedom Flotilla was arrested by the Israeli military in international waters around 2 am," Hassan posted on X. A photograph showed the crew seated on the boat, all wearing life jackets, with their hands in the air. Before their arrest, crew aboard the Freedom Flotilla said that quadcopters surrounded the aid ship and sprayed it with a "white paint-like substance". New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Huwaida Arraf, the cofounder of the International Solidarity Movement that is supporting the flotilla, told Al Jazeera that some people "reported that their eyes were burning." "Before that, they were also approached by vessels in a very threatening manner... The last we saw, were able to hear from them, they were surrounded… by Israeli naval commandos and it looked like the commandos were about to take over the vessel.' Contact with the activists was soon lost after Israeli commandos intercepted the Madleen, and the crew were ordered to hand over their phones. The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed the detention of the activists and stated that they were all safe and had been provided with sandwiches and water. 'The show is over,' the ministry wrote on X. 'If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped.' Twelve international activists, including Greta Thunberg, recorded videos before being kidnapped by Israeli forces in international waters while attempting to deliver aid to Gaza as part of a Freedom Flotilla.… — Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) June 9, 2025 The British-flagged yacht Madleen, which is operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), is the latest vessel attempting to break Israel's siege on Gaza. It set off from Sicily last week, carrying limited but urgent supplies for besieged and starving Palestinians. The aid includes baby formula, flour, rice, diapers, women's sanitary products, water desalination kits, medical supplies, crutches, and children's prosthetics. Last month, another vessel organised by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), the Conscience, failed to continue its journey after being struck by Israeli drones near Maltese waters. FFC-organised ships have been attempting to break Israel's 18-year land, sea and naval blockade on the Gaza Strip for nearly two decades. In 2010, the Mavi Marmara flotilla mission was attacked by Israeli forces, who boarded the ship and killed 10 activists. Since then, Israeli troops have frequently intercepted and seized vessels attempting to break the siege. Speaking to Middle East Eye from the aid boat on Tuesday, Thunberg that governments had failed Palestinians, and so it fell 'on us to step up and be the adults in the room'. 'We cannot sit by and allow this to happen. We are watching… a genocide happening, following decades and decades of systematic oppression, ethnic cleansing, occupation,' she said. 'We are just human beings, very concerned about what's happening, and do not accept what is going on.' Israel imposed a complete blockade on all humanitarian aid to Gaza for 11 weeks, before partially lifting it on 19 May to allow very limited United Nations aid deliveries, and a US-backed scheme widely panned as unworkable.


Middle East Eye
3 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
'If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped'
Twelve international activists, including Greta Thunberg, recorded videos before being kidnapped by Israeli forces in international waters while attempting to deliver aid to Gaza as part of a Freedom Flotilla. Activists from countries including Brazil, Germany, France, Turkey, and Spain also identified themselves, urging their governments to take action. Among the crew were French journalist Yanis Mhamdi from Blast Media and Omar Faiad from Al Jazeera Mubasher, who documenting the journey. "If you're seeing this video, I've been detained by Israeli forces while performing my role as a journalist," Mhamdi said. "I therefore ask my colleagues and the French government to expedite my release and return my camera equipment."


Middle East Eye
3 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Israeli navy seizes Gaza-bound aid ship Madleen, detains crew
Israeli forces have taken command of a charity vessel that had tried to break a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip and the boat with its crew of 12 including activist Greta Thunberg is now heading to a port in Israel, officials said on Sunday. The British-flagged yacht Madleen, which is operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), was aiming to deliver a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid, including rice and baby formula, to Gaza later on Monday and raise international awareness of the humanitarian crisis there. However, the boat was boarded during the night before it could reach shore, the FFC said on its Telegram account. The Israeli Foreign Ministry later confirmed that it was under Israeli control, saying the activists are expected to return to their home countries. The FFC says that quadcopters have surrounded the Madleen and sprayed the flotilla with a white paint-like substance before it was seized. Among the 12-strong crew are Swedish climate campaigner Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament. "The crew of the Freedom Flotilla was arrested by the Israeli military in international waters around 2 am," Hassan posted on X. A photograph showed the crew seated on the boat, all wearing life jackets, with their hands in the air.