The Israeli Navy is expected to block a high-profile activist mission sailing to Gaza to challenge Israel’s blockade, should the boat near Israel’s territorial waters in the coming days.
Clashes aboard the Madleen, which was organized by the pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel Freedom Flotilla Coalition, would likely spark diplomatic outrage, with France and Britain reportedly monitoring the situation.
Among the 12 activists on the ship, which is sailing under the British flag, are Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Brazilian activist Thiago Avila, Irish “Game of Thrones” actor Liam Cunningham, and Rima Hassan, a French-Palestinian European Parliament member.
Hassan, one of six French citizens on board, was barred in February from entering Israel over her past statements supporting sanctions and armed struggle against the country.
Israeli defense officials told The Times of Israel that they are monitoring the boat’s route, as the activists take a detour to pick up Sudanese migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean.
Still, if the boat continues to Gaza, it will be intercepted by the Navy, the officials said. At its current pace, the Madleen would likely reach the Strip sometime over the weekend. The boat may be towed to the Ashdod port or left at sea, the Kan public broadcaster reported earlier this week.
Responding to a query, the IDF said it was “enforcing the maritime security blockade on the Gaza Strip, and is prepared and ready for a wide range of scenarios that it will handle in accordance with the political echelon’s guidelines.”
A French diplomat was quoted by Channel 12 Thursday night as saying that “France is closely monitoring this boat due to the presence of six French citizens on board. France is prepared to offer aid to our citizens who are on board if necessary.” The diplomat refused to say what would make such intervention necessary, the report said.
A British official cited by Channel 12 said the United Kingdom was also monitoring the situation, and, according to the outlet, implied that the British government was initially unaware that the Madleen was sailing under the UK flag.
The network reported that Israeli sources had said Jerusalem had requested that Britain forbid the ship to fly the UK flag, but Britain refused to do so, citing British sailing regulations. The British government reportedly asked Israel to vouch for the safety of the Madleen and its passengers.
Both the French and British governments have recently sharpened their tone against Israel’s renewed operations in Gaza and the humanitarian situation there.
Activists on a previous Freedom Flotilla mission, which sailed to Gaza under the flag of Palau early last month, accused Israel of carrying out a drone strike against their boat off the coast of Malta, where Thunberg had been set to board.
Palau, which has warm ties with Israel, revoked its flag shortly before the attack on the Conscience, according to the activists, who also accused Malta of denying them entry. The damaged boat was left stranded, refused docking in several countries because it had no flag, until Malta offered to repair it.
The latest Freedom Flotilla mission set sail from Sicily on Sunday. On Thursday, Hassan said the Madleen changed tack to the south to rescue a boat carrying migrants off the Libyan coast.
The migrants reached the ship just as Libya’s coast guard overtook the dinghy, but four people jumped into the water and were picked up by passengers on the Madleen, said Hasan.
“We were able to rescue them; they are with us on the boat,” she said. It was unclear if the migrants would continue sailing to Gaza with the Madleen, or if the boat would make another detour to bring them to safety.
The mission to Gaza comes as Israel has expanded its ground offensive in the Strip, some 20 months after the war there was sparked by the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023. The offensive followed two months in which Israel halted the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Israel has accused Hamas of hoarding the aid. In a bid to circumvent the terror group, a US- and Israeli-backed aid agency began operating in Gaza last week, but has been accused by other humanitarian organizations of endangering aid-seekers, dozens of whom were reportedly killed by Israel.
Israel imposed a naval blockade on Gaza soon after Hamas took over the Strip in 2007. In 2012, a Freedom Flotilla mission against the blockade was intercepted by the Israeli Navy.
After the convoy refused orders to reroute to Ashdod, Israeli commandos boarded one of the ships, the Mavi Marmara, which was carrying over 600 passengers. After being met with violent resistance, the commandos opened fire, killing 10 Turkish activists. Ten Israeli soldiers were wounded during the attack.