What happens next to the Gaza flotilla’s Madleen and its crew?

The Madleen was stopped by Israel on its way to Gaza. What happens to Greta Thunberg, Rima Hassan and the other activists now?

Israeli forces intercepted the Madleen aid ship in the early hours of Monday morning as it approached the shores of Gaza in an effort to distribute badly needed aid to the Palestinian enclave’s starving population.

The ship has drawn international media attention since it set sail from Catania, Italy, about a week ago. As it neared the shores of Gaza, speculation was rife about how the Israelis would respond, considering their past actions in attacking aid ships sailing to provide supplies to the Strip.

Israel has killed at least 54,880 Palestinians and wounded 126,227 since its latest war on Gaza began on October 7, 2023, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.

Here’s what you need to know about the Madleen, its crew and what happens next:

Israeli drones encircled the Madleen, launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition at about 3am local time (01:00 GMT). The drones began spraying it with a white, paint-like substance before the commandos eventually took hold of the ship. The nature of the sprayed substance remains unclear.

The Israeli soldiers ordered the 12 people on board, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, to throw their phones overboard. They then filmed a video, handing the crew members sandwiches and water bottles, and wrote on X that the “selfie yacht” had been stopped.

It was in international waters at the time. Israel’s blockade of Gaza is deemed illegal by most international governments. Under international law, countries and their militaries hold sovereign rights over their territorial waters only, not international waters.

There were 12 people on board, the most high-profile included Sweden’s Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a member of the European Parliament from France.

The others are:

What happened?

Israeli media reported that the Madleen and its crew members were being taken to the port city of Ashdod. Israel’s Foreign Ministry said on X that it expected them to return to their home countries and used the opportunity to poke fun at Thunberg.

Yes, a few.

Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Israeli charge d’affaires in Madrid, Dan Poraz, over the interception of the Madleen, according to Israeli media.

Turkiye condemned Israel’s refusal to allow the ship to dock in Gaza. It called Israeli actions “a clear violation of international law”.

“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,” the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

There was no immediate response from the governments of Brazil, Germany, France or the Netherlands – the other countries with citizens on board the Madleen.

French lawmakers from the Leftist France Unbowed (LFI) party called Israel’s interception of the ship a “clear violation of international law”.