The Freedom Flotilla crew of the sailboat Madleen, a total of twelve people, left Sicily a week ago with the destination Gaza. On Monday night, they approached their destination.

“We are very close to Gaza now,” said Yasemin Acar, one of the activists on board, at around 1 am.

At that time, the boat had just raised an alarm that it was surrounded by Israeli fast boats – an alarm they later withdrew as the boats moved off again. However, two of them stopped near “The Madleens”, with their engines turned off.

– We suspect that this is psychological warfare and that they have planned this, continued Yasemin Acar.

Chemical substance

Shortly afterwards, the crew raised the alarm again.

"The Madleen is under attack in international waters," they wrote on Telegram. According to Freedom Flotilla, they were then surrounded by drones that sprayed them with a white chemical substance.

"Communications are blocked and disturbing sounds are played over the radio", they write.

In the next update, they show a picture of the entire crew, wearing life jackets and with their hands outstretched in the air.

“The Israeli army has boarded the ship”, they write.

– If you see this video, it means we have been stopped and kidnapped in international waters, says Greta Thunberg in a post on Instagram, urging everyone to put pressure on the Swedish government to get her released.

The crew has been"kidnapped" by Israeli forces, Freedom Flotilla writes in a post on Lasten, including food, infant formula and medical supplies, according to the activist group.

“This hijacking is a clear violation of international law,” said Huwaida Arraf of the Freedom Flotilla in a statement.

Israel: “Selfie yacht”

Israel's Foreign Ministry does not explicitly confirm that Madleen has been boarded, but writes on X that"the 'selfie yacht' with the 'celebrities' is safely on its way to the coast of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries." They also accuse the activists of only seeking publicity.

"There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip – it doesn't involve selfies on Instagram," they write.

In another post on X, the Israeli Foreign Ministry publishes a picture of Greta Thunberg in which a soldier holds out a wrapped sandwich to her.

"Greta Thunberg is currently on her way to Israel, safe and in good spirits."

The activist group was on its way to Gaza with supplies and described itself as being “very close” to Gaza shortly before the alarm about the attack came. Israel has always said that they will not be allowed to arrive. They also confirmed during the night that they were preparing to board the boat.