What happens to Greta Thunberg and the Madleen crew now?
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An aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg and 12 other activists which was bound for Gaza has been intercepted by Israeli forces.
Thunberg, who set sail on the Madleen boat on June 1 with 11 other activists, said she and the crew on the boat have been 'kidnapped by Israeli forces'.
The group, called the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, were aiming to get to Gaza carrying flour, rice, baby formula, and other basic supplies.
But Israel's foreign minister branded it a 'selfie yacht' and claimed it was carrying 'less than a single truckload of aid'.
Israel said the vessel is on its way to the Israeli port of Ashdod, where activists will be shown a video of the October 7 attacks, according to Israeli media.
The coalition, however, has said they have lost track of the boat and are not sure where it is. Their tracker currently shows it stationary
So what happens to the crew now following their 'kidnapping'? We take a look below.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition is a group of people working across the world to end Israel's blockade of Gaza.
The organisation, which was founded in 2015, have been involved in several missions before.
In 2015, the Freedom Flotilla III set sail from Athens and planned to break the blockade of the Gaza Strip, but was intercepted by the Israeli navy around 100 nautical miles from the coast of Gaza.
A year later, a crew of 26 women set sail in 2016 to highlight the struggle of women in Gaza.
It was divided into three legs: Barcelona to Ajaccio, Ajaccio to Messina, and Messina to Gaza. Each leg was crewed by thirteen volunteers with several members alternating at different legs of the voyage.
But the boat was intercepted 35 nautical miles away from the Gaza coast and the women were sent back to their home countries.
There are 12 activists and a journalist on board the Madleen.
Thunberg is the most recognisable person on the boat, known for her climate and political activism.
The activist said in a video shared on social media: 'My name is Greta Thunberg, and I am from Sweden.
'If you see this video, we are being intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces, or forces that support Israel.
'I urge all my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible.'
It is believed Thunberg pre-recorded the video in anticipation of Israeli hostility.
Rima Hassan is a French-Palestinian Member of the European Parliament.
In 2019, she founded the 'Refugee Camps Observatory', an NGO dedicated to the study and protection of refugees worldwide.
She has been a member of the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA) since 2016.
She has been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies towards Palestinians.
Yasemin Acar is a German-born activist, born and raised in the country to Kurdish parents from Turkey.
She advocates for refugees, human rights and against Islamophobia.
During Russia's invasion of Ukraine, she helped mobilise 15,000 volunteers and created Berlin Arrival Support.
Baptiste Andre is a French doctor who is travelling with the group to assist those who are potentially injured in confrontation with Israeli forces.
Thiago Avila is the coordinator of Freedom Flotilla Brazil and organises solidarity missions in the Global South.
He's also been an activist for Palestine for the past 19 years and was in Egypt for the opening of the Rafah border.
Omar Faiad is a correspondent for Al Jazeera Mubasher, reporting for the 24-hour Middle East news channel.
Pascal Maurieras is a French activist and sailor.
He was previously arrested by Israeli forces in 2018 during a previous voyage on board the Freedom.
He said before he set sail this time: 'If we don't protest now about what's happening in Gaza, then tomorrow a similar massacre could be carried out against the people of France.'
Yanis Mhamdi is another journalist on the boat who covers environmental issues at Blast.
Suayb Ordu is a Turkish activist and said he would not resist Israeli intervention while on board the Madleen.
He said: '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. Even if they point a gun to my head and shoot, I will not raise a hand.
'I won't say a word, I won't even look them in the eye. We are moving forward peacefully, and I have the utmost respect for my friends on board and their safety.'
Sergio Toribio is from Spain and is a member of Sea Shepherd, which is a marine conservation group that opposes whale hunting.
Marco van Rennes from The Netherlands is an activist and a marine engineering student.
He's had experience operating high-speed inflatable boats used by NGOs in civil rights missions.
Reva Viard is a climate activist from France and in a pre-recorded message urged the French government to 'push for an end to the genocide'.
Israel's defence minister Israel Katz ordered the military on Sunday to stop the Madleen from reaching Gaza's shores, calling it a propaganda effort in support of Hamas.
But people like Francesca Albanese, the UN's special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, has supported the FFC's operation and urged other boats to challenge the blockade.
She wrote: 'Madleen's journey may have ended, but the mission isn't over. Every Mediterranean port must send boats with aid & solidarity to Gaza.'
Restrictions on movements and goods in Gaza were imposed by Israel in the 1990s.
This intensified in 2007 when Hamas took over Gaza and led to a complete blockade on the movement of goods and people in and out.
The blockade is still in place after conflicts including the Hamas assault on October 7, 2023.
Israel says the blockade is essential to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas in Gaza.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition says it is urgently working to locate the crew, with Israel's foreign ministry saying at 3pm that the yacht is 'continuing its journey toward an Israeli port'.
The ministry announced at 3.30am on Monday that it was under Israeli control and that all passengers were safe and unharmed.
The ministry added: 'They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over.'
The activists will be shown videos of atrocities committed during the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack in Israel.
After this, the activists are expected to be returned to their home countries. More Trending
Some governments have spoken out about the news including Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs who summoned the Israeli charge d'affaires in Madrid, Dan Poraz.
Turkey has condemned Israel's actions, calling it 'a clear violation of international law'.
The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement: 'This heinous act by the Netanyahu government, which threatens the freedom of navigation and maritime security, once again demonstrates that Israel is acting as a terror state.'
There have not yet been responses from the governments of Brazil, Germany, France or the Netherlands.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
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It comes after Sweden rejected Greta Thunberg 's plea for help on board the 'freedom flotilla' after Israeli commandos intercepted the vessel on its approach to Gaza. Maria Malmer Stenergard, the Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs, said on Monday that she believes Thunberg is not in need of support from the ministry after the climate activist called on followers to pressure the government into action. 'A great responsibility rests on those who choose to travel contrary to the advice given to a place,' she said outside the Swedish parliament, as protestors gathered in Stockholm to demand an intervention. The minister lamented that, as a result of Greta's plea, the consular hotline had received a high volume of calls that meant Swedes 'in need' abroad were being held in long queues for assistance. 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Protestors hold signs reading 'Neutrality = complicity' (C) and Palestinian flags as they attend a demonstration to show their support for activists aboard a boat stopped by Israeli forces enroute to deliver aid to Gaza, in Toulouse, south-western France on June 9, 2025 Protestors have called on the governments of the 12 crew members to act after the activists claimed to have been 'intercepted and kidnapped' in international waters some 100 miles from the coast of Gaza. In London, demonstrators gathered outside the FCDO offices in Whitehall to call on the government to protect the crew of the British-flagged ship. One held a sign that read: ' Israel attacks UK boat. UK does nothing.' Images emerged last night, showing the deck of the charity vessel splattered with white liquid. Activist Yasmin Acar, among those on board, said it had been deployed by Israel and was affecting her eyes. 'Communications are jammed, and disturbing sounds are being played over the radio,' the coalition wrote on Telegram. Huwaida Arraf, the co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement, told Al Jazeera that crew members had said their eyes were burning from the substance. 'We don't know what that chemical was. Some people reported that their eyes were burning,' they said. Israel 'forcibly intercepted' the British-flagged vessel at 3.02am local time this morning, some 100 miles from the coast of Gaza, the FFC said in a statement. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz argued the blockade - in place for years - was needed to prevent militants importing weapons into Gaza. He congratulated the military on its 'quick and safe takeover' of the ship this morning after Israeli commandos seized the vessel. After diverting the boat, Israel's foreign ministry posted a picture of the activists all in orange life jackets being offered water and sandwiches. Katz said that the crew were safe and unharmed, and would be taken to the Israeli Port of Ashdod where they would be shown a video of Hamas 's October 7 atrocities. Critics called on the UK Government to protect the crew of Madleen on Monday Video shows gunmen storming into southern Israel during Hamas's October 7 massacre, killing some 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostage In comments shared on social media today, Katz said it was 'appropriate' the crew now see 'what atrocities [Hamas] committed against women, the elderly and children, and against whom Israel is fighting to defend itself'. The video of Hamas' attacks reportedly contains 43 minutes of 'uncensored' footage of 'people being massacred and bodies mutilated during the onslaught', according to the Times of Israel. The Israeli foreign ministry also derided what it called the 'selfie yacht' carrying 'celebrity' activists, adding that the aid onboard would be transferred to Gaza through what it called 'real humanitarian channels'. The 12 activists had left Italy on June 1, aiming to bring awareness of food shortages in Gaza, which the UN has called the 'hungriest place on Earth', after 21 months of war. The UN has warned the territory's entire population is at risk of famine. But the Israeli government had vowed to prevent the 'unauthorised' Madleen from breaching the naval blockade of Gaza, urging it to turn back. Protesters gather in support of the Freedom Flotilla and Palestine outside the Foreign Office After losing communication with the vessel, the FFC posted pre-recorded videos from the crew. In her video, Thunberg said: 'If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces, or forces that support Israel.' Why are the activists protesting? The crew on board the Madleen sailed towards Gaza in an effort to raise awareness of the deepening humanitarian crisis. Israel imposed a blockade on supplies - including food and medicine - into the Palestinian enclave on March 2, and limited aid only began to enter again late last month after pressure from allies and warnings of famine. ActionAid had reported in April that the price of flour in Gaza had soared to $300 a bag after more than 50 days without new aid deliveries. More than 3,700 children were newly admitted for treatment for acute malnutrition in March alone, it said, an 80 per cent rise on the previous month, per UNOCHA. Still, most people in Gaza are surviving on just a single meal per day, consisting mostly of pasta, rice or canned food. Humanitarian workers and experts have warned of famine unless the blockade is lifted and Israel ends its military offensive. Nine tenths of the population have been displaced by 21 months of war, with Israel now pursuing a new major offensive in the strip. Israel and Egypt have imposed varying degrees of blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007. Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent Hamas from importing arms, while critics say it amounts to collective punishment of Gaza's Palestinian population. The FFC said that Israel had acted with 'total impunity'. It said that the cargo, containing baby formula, food and medical supplies, had been 'confiscated'. Israel said that the aid on board would be 'transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels'. The foreign ministry stressed that all crew members were 'safe and unharmed'. It said that it expected the activists to return to their home countries. Arraf, a human rights attorney and Freedom Flotilla organiser, pushed back: 'Israel has no legal authority to detain international volunteers aboard the Madleen.' 'This seizure blatantly violates international law and defies the (International Court of Justice's) binding orders requiring unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza.' Israel has come under criticism for apprehending the group of activists in international waters. Francesca Albanese, the UN's Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, said the British government must 'urgently seek full clarification' about the ship's status and work to 'secure the immediate release' of the vessel and crew. 'The Madleen must be allowed to continue its lawful humanitarian mission to Gaza,' she said. MailOnline approached the Foreign Office for comment. Protestors amassed outside the FCDO offices in London today. One held a sign that read: 'Israel attacks UK boat. UK does nothing.' Ellie Chowns, Green Party Foreign Affairs spokeswoman and MP for North Herefordshire, said: 'The UK Government cannot remain silent while international waters are turned into a battleground and humanitarian actors are criminalised. 'The forced interception of the Madleen, a British-flagged vessel, is utterly unacceptable. Unarmed civilian crew were seized by Israeli military forces while sailing in international waters, their life-saving cargo taken, and international law trampled. 'I echo the Freedom Flotilla Coalition's demands: the immediate release of these civilians, unfettered delivery of vital baby formula, food and medical supplies to Gaza, and full accountability for these flagrant violations.' The Ashdod Port. The Madleen crew were taken to Ashdod today An Israeli officer at the Super Nova Festival in Re'im, Israel, after it was attacked by Hamas on October 7, 2023 The Gaza-bound aid ship Madleen, organised by the international NGO Freedom Flotilla Coalition, anchored off Catania, Italy, on June 1 Critics have branded the interception 'state piracy' and condemned the lack of action from the crew members' respective governments. Mouin Rabbani, a non-resident fellow at the Qatar-based Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies, told Al Jazeera: 'This is not only an act of state piracy. It's in direct violation of the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice.' Spain summoned Israel's charge d'affaires in protest of the interception, according to El Pais, citing a source at the Spanish Foreign Ministry. French Foreign Minister Jeal-Noel Barrot said France wants to 'facilitate the rapid return' of six French nationals travelling with the group. Turkey slammed Israel for the interception, describing it as a 'heinous attack'. 'The intervention by Israeli forces on the 'Madleen' ship.. while sailing in international waters is a clear violation of international law,' it said, describing it as a 'heinous attack' by the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Turkey's foreign ministry said there were Turkish nationals among those on board, without identifying them. The Freedom Flotilla's website said the boat was carrying 12 people from seven countries, including Turkey. 'The international community's justified reaction to Israel's genocidal policies, which use hunger as a weapon in Gaza and prevent the delivery of humanitarian aid, will continue,' the ministry added, saying Israel would manage to 'silence the voices defending human values'. Five year-old Osama al-Raqab, suffering from severe malnutrition, undergoes treatment at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Youni in the southern Gaza Strip 31 May 2025. His mother said his weight has dropped to just nine kilograms Zakariya al-Majdoub, an 11-month-old baby born in Khan Yunis during Israeli attacks on Gaza, faces life-threatening malnutrition in Gaza on June 3, 2025 Rihan Sharab, a Palestinian mother, tries to keep the joy of Eid alive with her handcrafted toys by distributing them to children in the Mewasi camp while Israeli attacks continue in Khan Yunis, Gaza on June 4, 2025 A Palestinian man collects aid supplies from the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 9, 2025 Eight-year-old Rahab Matar, who was injured during an Israeli airstrike while playing in a park in Gaza, stays at a temporary shelter set up at the Yarmouk Stadium, Gaza City, June 7 Israel is facing mounting international pressure to allow more aid into Gaza to alleviate widespread shortages of food and basic supplies. It recently allowed humanitarian deliveries to resume after barring them for more than two months and began working with the newly formed, US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. But humanitarian agencies have criticised the GHF and the United Nations refuses to work with it, citing concerns over its practices and neutrality. Dozens of people have been killed near GHF distribution points since late May, according to Gaza's civil defence agency.
