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Here’s where things stand on Sunday 8 June 2025
- The Madleen ship, launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), is en route to Gaza, carrying humanitarian aid as the Palestinian enclave faces food shortages due to more than 90 days of total Israeli blockade.
- Climate activist Greta Thunberg is among the 12 activists on board the vessel to break Israel’s siege of the Strip since March 2. The enclave has already been under Israel’s land, sea and air blockade since 2007.
- The Madleen departed Catania, Sicily, on June 1, just one month after Israeli drones bombed another FFC aid ship headed for Gaza. This is the latest effort to send aid into Gaza, where more than 54,000 people have been killed in Israeli bombardment.
- The 2,000km (1,250-mile) journey is expected to take seven days, provided there are no disruptions. The ship’s location is being monitored live by Forensic Architecture and using a Garmin live tracker on board.
- Multiple reports in Israeli media say that the military will not allow the ship to reach Gaza, and that the activists risk detention and the seizure of their ship if they fail to comply with the Israeli army.
Drones hovering around Madleen ship: Activist
Baptiste Andre, a French physician and activist on the Madleen ship heading to Gaza, has spoken to Al Jazeera about the situation on board the vessel as it tries to break Israel’s blockade of the enclave.
Here is a summary of his translated comments:
- Drones have been flying overhead at high altitude for hours.
- The people on board are constantly in contact with numerous parties, including the French Foreign Ministry.
- The ship is carrying a tonne of medical aid, which is a symbolic amount.
- Those on board demand an end to the siege imposed on Gaza.
Palestinians in Gaza gather to watch Madleen’s progress
In a social media post shared by Drop Site News, a US media outlet, people can be seen gathering to watch an Al Jazeera broadcast featuring Greta Thunberg and the Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship.
“We are watching you in Gaza. We do not turn off the screen,” the social media post caption reads.
Rima Hassan says Madleen on ‘final approach’ to Gaza
In a post on X, the French member of the European Parliament, currently on board the Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship bound for the Gaza Strip, says she expects the Israeli army to intercept the activists as they approach the coastline.
She also claimed that Israel would deploy a missile boat and an elite commando force to stop their mission.
‘The best security measure we have is visibility’
Thiago Avila, a Brazilian activist on board the Madleen, says the ship is now just 190 miles (306km) from the Gaza Strip and is calling on supporters to demand their government to ensure a safe passage.
Here’s what Avila said in a video shared on Instagram on Sunday morning:
“We are right now somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea. But if you look right there, 190 miles from where we are, it’s Gaza. A place that has been living under siege by sea, by land and by air for 18 years.”
Avila added that the aid ship has “a humble mission”.
“We are just 12 people here. We carry all the aid we can. We carry food, medicine, crutches. We carry prosthetics for amputated children. We carry water filters and everything else we could but, of course, it’s a drop in the ocean for the necessities of Gaza,” he said.
Avila also spoke about the history of Israeli attacks on aid ships approaching Gaza and the risks as the Madleen grows closer.
“The best security measure we have is visibility,” he said. “It is you sharing, you pressuring your nation states, pressuring your governments for them to pressure for a safe passage.”
Israel kills 5, wounds 70, in latest attack on Gaza aid seekers
As the Madleen makes its way towards Gaza, people there are continuing to face difficulties accessing food under Israel’s violent blockade.
At least five people have been killed and more than 70 wounded in the latest incident of Israeli troops opening fire on hungry Palestinians seeking food in southern Gaza.
You can follow our live coverage on the latest developments in the Gaza Strip, here.
Ships that tried to break Israel’s blockade on Gaza
- The SS Liberty and the Free Gaza: In August 2008, two Free Gaza Movement wooden ships carrying 44 activists from 17 countries reached the port of Gaza, the first foreign vessel to dock there in 41 years. They successfully delivered 200 hearing aids for children there.
- The Mavi Marmara: At around 4am on May 31, 2010, Israeli commandos stormed the Mavi Marmara, the lead ship in a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza. They shot and killed eight Turkish nationals and an American Turkish national, while a tenth Turkish national later died of his wounds.
- The Marianne: On June 29, 2015, Israel’s military boarded and seized the ship at around 2am local time, some 100 nautical miles (185km) from Gaza’s shore.
- The Akdeniz: In April 2024, the Akdeniz was unable to depart Turkiye after organisers said its flag was withdrawn under pressure from Israeli and US authorities. It was the lead ship in a flotilla carrying 5,000 tonnes of humanitarian supplies and aid workers from 40 countries, including former South African President Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Mandla Mandela.
- The Conscience: At the beginning of May this year, two drones hit the ship, causing the engine to catch fire and blowing a hole in the hull, before it reached Malta where crew members, including Greta Thunberg, were preparing to board.
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Madleen set to arrive in Palestinian waters in 24 hours
Rima Hassan, the French-Palestinian Member of European Parliament on board the Madleen, says the ship will reach Palestinian waters within a day.
In a post on Instagram, Hassan wrote in French: “In 24 hours, we will arrive in Palestinian waters, illegally controlled and occupied by Israel.”
Where is the Madleen now?
According to a livetracker on board the vessel, as of 01:39 GMT on Sunday, the Madleen is sailing north of the Egyptian coastal city of Rosetta.
We will bring you more information when we have it.
New flotilla revives painful memories of Israeli raid on Mavi Marmara
In 2010, Israeli forces stormed the Mavi Marmara, a ship in a flotilla trying to break the siege on Gaza, in a raid that left 10 people dead.
Al Jazeera’s Jamal Elshayyal, who witnessed the 2010 raid firsthand, reflects on its lasting impact as the Madleen nears Gaza.
‘This Eid, our hearts are with Palestinians of Gaza’
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) has put out a short statement in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, who are spending the Eid al-Adha holiday under Israeli bombardment and siege.
“You deserve life, justice, peace, and the right to celebrate Eid without mourning,” the group wrote on X.
Madleen reaches Egypt
The aid ship with 12 activists on board, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, has reached the Egyptian coast and is nearing the besieged Palestinian territory, organisers say in a statement carried by AFP news agency.
“We are now sailing off the Egyptian coast,” German human rights activist Yasemin Acar told AFP. “We are all good,” she added.
In a statement from London on Saturday, the International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza – a member organisation of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition – said the ship had entered Egyptian waters.
The group said it remains in contact with international legal and human rights bodies to ensure the safety of those on board, warning that any interception would constitute “a blatant violation of international humanitarian law”.
European parliament member Rima Hassan, who is on board the vessel, urged governments to “guarantee safe passage for the Freedom Flotilla”.
Rima Hassan: Blocking Gaza-bound ship violates international law
French Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan called for the Madleen ship to be allowed to reach Gaza and for its safety to be guaranteed.
Speaking from on board the ship, Hassan asserted that any attempt to target or intercept the ship would constitute a flagrant violation of international law, and would not deter the 12 activists from continuing their voyage.
Israel has said it would prevent the ship from reaching Gaza, while an Israeli military spokesperson confirmed that the ship is being treated as a security threat.
According to current sailing data, the ship’s crew is expected to reach 100 nautical miles (185km) from Gaza on Monday, the point at which the ship is likely to be intercepted, based on previous incidents.
Our journey carries a message to stand with Gaza: Activist on Madleen
Yasmin Acar, one of several activists on board the Madleen, has spoken to Al Jazeera about the crew’s ongoing journey to Gaza.
Here is a summary of what Acar said:
- We are trying to bring in aid as Israel is violating international law.
- The world has been silent for 20 months amid the genocide in Gaza.
- Our journey carries a message to the world about the need to stand with the people of the Gaza Strip.
- We are going to the Gaza Strip because our governments oppress us and do not listen to us.