Who are the 12 people on the Greta Thunberg Gaza aid flotilla seized by Israel?
Climate activist Greta Thunberg has been detained by Israeli security forces while attempting to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The Swede was part of a 12-strong crew who had hoped to deliver baby formula, rice and other supplies to the territory, as well as raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis.
The vessel, known as the Madleen and flying under a British flag, was dubbed the 'selfie yacht' by Israeli officials, who vowed to seize it before it could reach shore.
According to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) - the organisation behind the voyage - the craft was "unlawfully boarded" in the early hours of Monday morning, in what it claimed was a breach of international law.
A video of Thunberg claiming to have been "intercepted and kidnaped in international waters" was also released by FFC.
SOS! the volunteers on 'Madleen' have been kidnapped by Israeli forces.Greta Thunberg is a Swedish citizen.Pressure their foreign ministries and help us keep them safe!Web: https://t.co/uCGmx8sn8jX : @SweMFAFB : @SweMFAIG : swedishmfa#AllEyesOnMadeleen pic.twitter.com/76Myrg2Bnz
— Freedom Flotilla Coalition (@GazaFFlotilla) June 9, 2025
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, the Israeli Foreign Ministry insisted everyone detained was "safe and unharmed", while Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz, has suggested Thunberg and her companions could be forced to watched footage from the October 7 attacks before they are allowed to leave custody.
Here, Yahoo News UK looks at who the 12 people detained are.
The daughter of an opera singer mother and actor father, Thunberg has become one of the world's best-known climate campaigners.
After staging her first 'School Strike for Climate' in 2018, she went on to give speeches to world leaders, including sailing across the Atlantic Ocean to New York to address the UN and was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize five years in a row, between 2019-2023.
Setting sail from Italy earlier this month, the 22-year-old told reporters: 'We are doing this because no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying, because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity.
'No matter how dangerous this mission is, it is nowhere near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the lives being genocised'.
The sailing marked the second attempt by FFC to reach Gaza, after a previous voyage, in May, had to be aborted after an alleged drone attack.
Hassan, who was born in Syria to Palestinian refugees, was elected to the European Parliament last year for the left-wing La France Insoumise party.
She is currently understood to have been barred from entering Israel because of her previous opposition to Israeli policies on Palestine.
Earlier this year, Hassan and fellow MEP Lynn Boylan, who chairs the European Parliament EU-Palestine delegation, were both refused entry at Ben-Gurion airport and ordered to return to Europe.
At the time, Israeli interior minister Moshe Arbel justified the decision by claiming Hassan had promoted 'boycotts against Israel'.
Early this morning, as the Madleen approached Gaza, Hassan posted a photo on social media appearing to show a white substance on the deck of the vessel. It was later suggested this may have been a chemical irritant, known as 'skunk water', used to disorientate prior to a boarding by security forces.
pic.twitter.com/YJFNRjjcUg
— Rima Hassan (@RimaHas) June 8, 2025
A French citizen and journalist for the website Blast, Mhamdi is believed to have been one of two reporters on board the vessel when it was stopped.
In his most recent post on X, formerly Twitter, he shared footage of what appeared to be a drone hovering above the Madleen and said his "arrest by the Israeli army [was] imminent".
Je suis journaliste et après avoir couvert pendant une semaine le convoi de la Feeedom Flotilla mon arrestation par l'armée israélienne est imminente. Des humanitaires et des journalistes n'ont pas être arrêté J'appelle tous mes confrères à se mobiliser. @blast_france pic.twitter.com/T1hiNZXLQf
— Yanis Mhamdi (@yanmdi) June 8, 2025
Faiad, a journalist for Arabic news channel Al Jazeera, is understood to have joined the vessel to document its journey.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), an international campaign group, has called for his release along with that of Mhamdi.
Acar, 37, was born in Germany to Turkish parents and has been involved in pro-Palestine campaigns in Berlin, according to the FFC website.
She has also been active in supporting Ukrainian refugees arriving in her country following Russia's full-scale invasion.
Pictures released after the Madleen was reportedly stormed by Israeli security forces appeared to show her with her hands in the air.
A 37-year-old father-of-one, Avila is listed on FFC's website as a coordinator of its activities in Brazil, his home country, and has been involved in pro-Palestine campaigns for almost 20 years.
Speaking ahead of the Madleen's launch, he said: 'We are breaking the siege of Gaza by sea, but that's part of a broader strategy of mobilizations that will also attempt to break the siege by land.'
Since 2023, he has also worked in Egypt to try and create alternative routes for humanitarian aid to reach Gaza.
SOS! the volunteers on 'Madleen' have been kidnapped by Israeli forces. Thiago Avila is a citizen of Brazil. The Brazilian government must protect their citizen! Thiago Ávila, has been kidnapped by the Israeli military. Thiago is an unarmed civilian on a vessel carrying… pic.twitter.com/AT2moC2bis
— Freedom Flotilla Coalition (@GazaFFlotilla) June 9, 2025
At least three further nationalities are understood to be represented among the crew of the Madleen, according to videos posted on FFC's social media channels.
Messages from Hüseyin Şuayb Ordu, Sergio Toribio and Mark van Rennes appealed to the governments of Turkey, Spain and the Netherlands, respectively.
In addition, Baptiste Andre, Pascal Raymond Maurieras and Reva Viard are believed to all be from France.
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