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"Madeleine" is a ship affiliated with the international Freedom Flotilla Coalition. It set sail from the port of Catania on the Italian island of Sicily on Sunday, June 1, carrying humanitarian aid destined for the Gaza Strip.
On a journey expected to last seven days, this initiative aims to send a message of solidarity and determination to continue efforts to break the Israeli blockade that has lasted for 17 years and to stop the genocide being carried out against the people of the besieged enclave.
Onboard are 12 prominent international figures, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, French-Palestinian Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan, Dutch artist and filmmaker Liam Cunningham, retired U.S. Army Colonel Ann Wright, and Jewish activist Zohar Chamberlain Regev, among others.
Al Jazeera Mubasher's correspondent reported that the boat “Madeleine,” which is participating in the campaign to break the siege on Gaza, temporarily changed its course in response to a distress call sent by a drone via radio waves, reporting the sighting of a Libyan migrant boat in an emergency situation.
Today, reporter Omar Fayad indicated that the boat, which was originally headed toward Gaza, is now heading toward the location of the distressed vessel, estimated to be about an hour and a half away from “Madleen’s” current position in the Mediterranean Sea.
This comes as part of an urgent humanitarian response to save lives.
According to a statement by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the ship "Madeleine" is carrying medical supplies, flour, rice, baby formula, diapers, women's hygiene products, water desalination kits, crutches, and prosthetic limbs for children.
Zaher Birawi, chairman of the International Committee for Breaking the Siege on Gaza and a founding member of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, stated that the ship carries a message of love, peace, support, and solidarity—alongside a message of protest against the governments of the world that remain silent in the face of the ongoing blockade and fail to deliver food and necessities to more than two million Palestinians facing genocide in Gaza.
Amid growing international attention to the route of the "Madeleine" ship heading to the Gaza Strip, Israeli warnings have become increasingly severe, accompanied by intensive field preparations to respond to any potential developments along the restricted maritime zone.
In this context, The Jerusalem Post quoted Israeli military sources as saying that the army will issue a direct message to the activists aboard "Madeleine," warning them not to approach the restricted maritime area off the coast of Gaza and threatening that "ignoring the instructions will lead to direct military intervention."
The sources added that the Israeli army may seize the boat, arrest those on board, and transfer them to the port of Ashdod in preparation for deportation.
The newspaper confirmed that the Israeli army has already begun implementing field preparations to deal with the vessel, noting that specialized units—including the missile boat fleet and the Shayetet 13 naval commando unit—are involved in these preparations in anticipation of any developments.
The ship has now traveled half the distance of its planned route to Gaza. Hoping that the Freedom Flotilla will receive international and public protection to reach Gaza, the international activists continue their journey for the third consecutive day, undeterred by the possibility of an Israeli attack at any moment along the 2,000-kilometer route.
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