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A vessel carrying 12 activists and humanitarian supplies bound for Gaza was brought to Israel's Ashdod port Monday evening after being intercepted by Israeli naval forces in international waters.
The sailing boat Madleen arrived at the Israeli port around 8:45 p.m. (1745 GMT) under escort by Israel's navy, according to sources. The interception occurred overnight as the vessel attempted to reach the blockaded Palestinian territory.
Israeli forces conducted a raid on the 18-meter sailboat, which had departed Italy's Catania port on June 1 as part of a humanitarian mission organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. The civil society organization aimed to break the Gaza blockade and deliver aid supplies to the territory.
Before the intervention, activists on the Madleen had announced they would maintain a peaceful posture if Israeli forces acted against their vessel and would not resist any military response.
The intercepted vessel carried 12 individuals, including European Parliament member Rima Hassan from France, German Freedom Flotilla Coalition press coordinator Yasemin Acar, and Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. Other passengers include Turkish national Huseyin Suayb Ordu, Brazilian Thiago Avila, Spanish activist Sergio Toribio, Dutch participant Marco van Rennes, and French nationals Baptiste Andre, Reva Viard, Pascal Maurieras and Yanis Mhamdi. Journalist Omar Faiad is also aboard.
The United Nations stated it supports ensuring peaceful protesters are not harmed and that any violation of this principle would be "a major source of concern" regarding the Madleen vessel, which was detained by Israeli forces overnight while carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza.
UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq addressed questions during a daily press briefing, emphasizing that their primary concern regarding the Madleen vessel detained by Israeli forces in international waters was the safety of those aboard. "As far as we know, the people on the ship appear to be unharmed and we hope this continues, we will continue to monitor the situation," Haq said.
Haq argued that what exactly happened with the vessel's detention and its legal basis needed to be examined, stating: "We have always been in favor of peaceful protest and we believe that authorities should allow peaceful protesters to continue their activities without harm. Any violation of this would be a very big concern."
When asked about Israel's seizure of the vessel in international waters, Haq maintained they needed to verify exactly where the ship was detained and noted that unimpeded travel of ships in international waters is "a critical part of international law."
When a journalist reminded him that it was confirmed the Madleen vessel was detained in international waters, Haq responded: "Any effort to impede the navigation of ships in international waters is a major source of concern."
Asked whether the Secretary-General considered the Madleen to pose any threat to Israel, Haq replied: "Our basic point is that we encourage all peaceful protests. As far as we know, this (ship) also falls within this scope."
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