Israel stops activist ship with Greta Thunberg - relief supplies in danger!

Israel stops activist ship with Greta Thunberg - relief supplies in danger!

Gazastreifen, Palästina - On June 9, 2025, the auxiliary ship "Madleen", which among other things had the Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and the German activist Yasemin Acar on board, was stopped by Israeli authorities off the coast of the Gaza Strip. The ship was on the way to deliver urgently needed relief supplies for the people in the region. The assignment fell in a time of considerable humanitarian crises in the Gaza Strip, where thousands of people, both in Gaza and Israel, died due to the continuing conflict and there is a lack of medical products, clean water and food.

Israeli Foreign Ministry representatives described the “Madleen” as “selfie-yacht” and announced that the ship would be brought to the Israeli coast. The passengers, including actors Liam Cunningham and European MP Rima Hassan, are to return to their home countries. In the meantime, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) explained that the Israeli army stopped the ship and "kidnapped" the crew while communication broke off to the ship.

confrontations at sea

The FFC reported a coordinated approach of the Israeli Navy, which was seen as an “attack on international waters”. In the early morning hours, drones of the Israeli armed forces had come into contact with the mission of the ship and had dropped a white fabric that caused health reactions for activist Yasemin Acar. Acar LiveStreams this incident, which increased international pressure on the situation of the activists.

The Israeli authorities justified their procedures by the fact that the maritime zone was closed before Gaza and the attempt to break through the blockade was classified as dangerous and illegal. According to the ministry, humanitarian aid, which is introduced according to Israel, is severely restricted, although a limited support for the region has been approved in recent weeks.

Humanitarian location in the Gaza Strip

The humanitarian situation in Gaza is catastrophic according to the latest conflicts. Support is provided by the diaconal and other organizations that are committed and try to help those affected according to humanitarian principles. The violent agreements between the warring parties have sparked a spiral of violence that makes it necessary to urgently provide humanitarian aid.

activist Greta Thunberg dared to take part in the mission despite the risk. She had deliberately decided on this step to point out the unprecedented emergency of the people in the Gaza Strip. Thunberg referred to the challenges that earlier flotilles had opposed, and emphasized the urgency to solve the surrounding conflicts in order to enable permanent humanitarian support.

In the middle of the current development, it remains unclear how the international community will react to Israel's approach and what further measures can be taken to improve the humanitarian situation in the region.

Although Israel has started to allow help in the Gaza Strip, humanitarian organizations report that this is far from sufficient to meet the needs of the civilian population. The dramatic situation therefore requires a coordinated and comprehensive reaction to the needs of the people affected, both in Gaza Strip and in Israel.