The whole world is watching the Madleen's journey to Gaza
The 12 people on board the vessel, members of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, are hoping to deliver much needed aid and to break Israel's humanitarian blockade on Gaza.
But Israel is trying to stop them. Just this afternoon, Israel's defence minister Israel Katz said he had ordered the military to intercept the vessel before it can reach Gaza.
With less than 24 hours to go until the ship is expected to reach its destination, it has never been more important for the international community to bear witness. And thanks to social media, the efforts of the group – and Israel's effort to prevent them – cannot go ignored.
READ MORE: LIVE: Latest updates as Freedom Flotilla nears Gaza
We are seeing the journey of the Madleen in real time. The ship's tracker is available online and can pinpoint exactly where it is at any given moment. This is vital in ensuring accountability for any attacks or attempts to intercept the vessel.
At least, we could see the tracker until earlier today, when it lost signal for around an hour and displayed the ship's coordinates as being in Jordan. The group later said that the issue was due to 'signal jamming', and they set up a new tracker which is currently working as it should. The group remain on course, undeterred, even though an attack may be imminent.
As the Freedom Flotilla Coalition state, 'the tracker is not simply a navigation tool; it is a form of protection'. The Madleen's journey is visible to all, making it harder for any interceptions to go ignored or unchallenged.
The 12 individuals on board – including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, and French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan – have also utilised social media to ensure that their journey is broadcast to the entire world.
READ MORE: Freedom Flotilla urges UK Government to 'protect' ship from Israel as it nears Gaza
When drones began to hover above the ship, we knew about it. When the ship had to divert its course to a mayday call, we could track its movements as it happened. Constant updates, tweets and livestreams are shared on social media, ensuring that everything can be recorded and remembered.
In broadcasting the intimidation the Madleen is experiencing, the crew are not intending to undermine the brutal bombardment, starvation and displacement Palestinians are experiencing at the hands of Israel. As Thunberg shared recently on her own social media: "Keep all eyes on deck but above all, all eyes on Palestine and all oppressed people."
The Madleen's journey so far demonstrates the aggression humanitarian organisations face when trying to deliver aid in Gaza. When Israel has banned foreign press from entering the enclave, and it continues to bomb the few Palestinian journalists who remain, this is an important insight which ensures accountability and transparency.
We are witnessing a crucial moment in Israel's assault on Gaza – one that could have huge international implications if the Madleen is subject to attack.
The next 24 hours will decide everything. And no matter what happens, we will be watching.
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BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Madleen: Israel warns it will stop aid flotilla reaching Gaza
Israel has warned its military will "take whatever measures are necessary" to prevent a boat carrying pro-Palestinian activists and humanitarian aid reaching Gaza. The Madleen yacht is 160 nautical miles from the Gaza Strip and is attempting to challenge Israel's naval blockade of the territory. Defence Minister Israel Katz said the 12-strong crew, which includes climate protester Greta Thunberg, should turn back and that Israel will act against any attempt to breach the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) said the vessel, which departed Sicily on Friday, was carrying humanitarian aid and was "prepared for the possibility of an Israeli attack". Katz said the blockade's purpose was to "prevent the transfer of weapons to Hamas" and was essential to Israel's security as it seeks to destroy the Palestinian armed group Hamas. He warned in a post on X on Sunday: "I have instructed the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] to act to prevent the 'Madeleine' [sic] hate flotilla from reaching the shores of Gaza - and to take whatever measures are necessary to that end."Addressing the crew directly, he added: "To the antisemitic Greta and her fellow Hamas propaganda spokespeople, I say clearly: You should turn back - because you will not reach Gaza."Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade or assist terrorist organizations – at sea, in the air, and on land." The FFC characterised the minister's statement as an example of Israel threatening the unlawful use of force against civilians and "attempting to justify that violence with smears". "We will not be intimidated. The world is watching," FFC press officer Hay Sha Wiya said. "The Madleen is a civilian vessel, unarmed and sailing in international waters, carrying humanitarian aid and human rights defenders from across the globe... Israel has no right to obstruct our effort to reach Gaza."The group added that the vessel had earlier experienced temporary signal jamming, causing its location to appear near Madleen is carrying a symbolic quantity of aid, including rice and baby formula, the group said. People from Brazil, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Turkey are onboard. Israeli media say its navy is expected to block the boat before it reaches Gaza. "We will calmly take control of the ship, bring them to Israel, and deport them abroad that same night," an Israeli official told the Jerusalem Post. In 2010, Israeli commandos killed 10 people when they boarded Turkish ship Mavi Marmara that was leading an aid flotilla towards Gaza. It is almost 20 months since Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to an unprecedented Hamas-led cross-border attack on Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken least 54,880 people have been killed in Gaza since, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. Get our flagship newsletter with all the headlines you need to start the day. Sign up here.
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
UK sends spy plane over Gaza as Madleen threatened by Israel
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition's Madleen vessel set off for Gaza on June 1. On Sunday, Israel's defence secretary Israel Katz instructed the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) to intercept the ship if it continues towards Gaza. Katz said earlier on Sunday: "I have instructed the IDF to act so that the Madleen does not reach Gaza. To the anti-semitic Greta and her friends, I say clearly: You should turn back, because you will not reach Gaza. "The State of Israel will not allow anyone to violate the naval blockade on Gaza, the primary purpose of which is to prevent the transfer of weapons to Hamas, a murderous terror organisation that holds our hostages and commits war crimes." The crew of the Madleen have repeatedly called on the UK Government to offer "protection", given the ship is flying a UK flag. Despite this, shortly after 7pm on Sunday, the UK's Cyprus base RAF Akrotiri sent a spy plane to surveil the Palestinian region. The aircraft is still in the air as of 7.30pm. Publicly available flight data shows that a Shadow R1 – a plane described by the RAF as capable of 'comprehensive intelligence gathering' that is 'particularly valuable to ground commanders' – flew towards Gaza before information transponders were cut off. Journalist Matt Kennard shared a graphic which showed the flight path and stated: "Britain sends another spy flight from RAF Akrotiri over Gaza to collect intelligence for 'I$rael' as the Madleen is threatened by the regime." More to follow.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Israel Katz threatens to use ‘all necessary measures' to stop Gaza bound aid ship
The Israeli defence minister has threatened to 'take all necessary measures' to prevent a humanitarian ship carrying climate campaigner Greta Thunberg from reaching Gaza. The 'Madleen', a boat operated by the activist group Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), says it is attempting to reach the shores of the territory to bring in a symbolic amount of aid and raise international awareness of the continuing humanitarian crisis. But on Sunday, Israel Katz ordered the Israeli military to stop the ship from getting anywhere near Gaza. 'I have instructed the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] to act so that the hate flotilla … does not reach the shores of Gaza – and to take all necessary measures to that end,' the defence minister said in a statement. 'To the antisemitic Greta [Thunberg] and her friends who echo Hamas propaganda, I say clearly: You'd better turn back – because you will not reach Gaza. Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade or to assist terrorist organisations – by sea, by air, and by land.' Thunberg, who has said she is taking part in the mission 'because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity', has rejected previous Israeli accusations of antisemitism. On board the vessel alongside her are the Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham and 10 other activists from Germany, France, Brazil, Turkey, Sweden, Spain and the Netherlands. They include Rima Hassan, a French member of the European parliament of Palestinian descent who has been barred from entering Israel. Responding to Katz on Sunday, they said: 'The statement by Israel's defence minister is yet another example of Israel threatening the unlawful use of force against civilians – and attempting to justify that violence with smears. 'We will not be intimidated,' it added. 'The world is watching.' As of Sunday evening, the Madleen, which left the port of Catania in Sicily, southern Italy, on 1 June, was approximately 160 nautical miles from Gaza. 'We are monitoring the situation closely,' the FFC said. 'We remain calm, resolute, and prepared for the possibility of an Israeli attack. We reiterate our call to world governments to demand that Israel stand down. Israel has no right to obstruct our effort to reach Gaza.' Israel's blockade on Gaza has been in place for years, even before the Israel-Hamas war that erupted in October 2023 after the Hamas attacks on Israel in which 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 251 people were taken hostage. It was slightly eased in mid-May after nearly three months, allowing a limited amount of humanitarian aid into the territory. But malnutrition is spreading, medics and aid workers have warned, with UN officials describing Gaza as 'the hungriest place on Earth'. Katz said on Sunday that the blockade was essential to Israel's national security as it seeks to destroy Hamas. 'The State of Israel will not allow anyone to break the naval blockade on Gaza, whose primary purpose is to prevent the transfer of weapons to Hamas,' he said. More than 54,000 Palestinians have died during Israel's assault, according to Gaza health authorities, with much of the territory reduced to rubble. Israel's plan to concentrate food delivery in hubs guarded by private security contractors and the Israeli military and provided by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has proved to be chaotic and dangerous, critics say. At least four people were killed and others wounded by Israeli fire on Sunday, about a kilometre from a food distribution point in Gaza, Palestinian medics and officials said. The deaths bring the number of people who have been killed while trying to find food in Gaza since 27 May, when GHF became responsible for civilian food provision, to 110. More than 1,000 have been injured. Israel said it was expecting to intercept the flotilla in the next 48 hours. Before leaving Sicily on board the Madleen, which is carrying a symbolic amount of rice and infant formula, Thunberg 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. And, no matter how dangerous this mission is, it's not even near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the livestreamed genocide.' Thunberg, who became an internationally famous climate activist after organising protests in her native Sweden, had been due to board a previous Freedom Flotilla ship, the Conscience, last month. It was bombed by drones and disabled while in international waters off Malta as it headed towards the Palestinian territory.
