What’s next for the Madleen aid vessel and its crew detained by Israeli forces?

After an interception at sea, the aid vessel bound for Gaza, Madleen, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was seized by Israeli naval forces in the early hours of Monday morning as it approached Gaza.

The vessel was carrying humanitarian aid and 12 international activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and French MEP Rima Hassan.

It was forced to reroute to the Israeli port city of Ashdod, but the interception left the global community with many questions about the future of the ship and its detained crew.

Where was the Madleen when it was intercepted?

The Madleen was roughly 100 nautical miles (approximately 185km) from Gaza in international waters when Israeli forces intercepted and boarded it.

Drones sprayed the vessel with an unidentified white substance, which crew members described as a paint-like substance that burned their eyes. Israeli soldiers then ordered the activists to discard their phones and were subsequently detained. The vessel was redirected to Ashdod, where the activists remain in Israeli custody.

What happens next?

Israeli officials have stated that they plan to deport the activists to their home countries. It's worth noting that no clear timeline has been provided, and the activists’ legal teams are preparing to challenge the detention and possible deportation orders.

The ship remains docked in Ashdod, and its humanitarian cargo has reportedly not been delivered to Gaza.

Activists and lawyers are now demanding immediate access to their clients and calling for international observers to ensure their rights are not violated during detention and potential deportation.

What does the law say?

A legal statement from South African Lawyers for Justice, released shortly after the incident, asserts the detention and interception were both unlawful and dangerous:

"What happened to the Madleen is a direct violation of international maritime law. This was a peaceful, civilian vessel, carrying humanitarian aid, sailing in international waters, under a British flag. That flag matters. It binds the UK to obligations under international law to protect its vessels from unlawful foreign interference. That responsibility does not end at convenience.

"The UN and member states cannot look away. They must act—because this was not just an attack on a ship, but on the principles that are supposed to protect civilians in times of war.

"The International Court of Justice has already ruled that Israel must not hinder humanitarian aid into Gaza. The ICJ has made it clear: the siege, the blockade, is unlawful. And yet here we are—watching Israel stop a civilian aid boat by force. Watching as drones pour paint from the sky and armed speedboats surround people carrying food and medicine. This is not security. This is siege warfare. Israel is once again using starvation as a weapon of war.

"The Madleen was calm. It was lawful. It was peaceful. If even that is treated as a threat, we should be asking—what is Israel so afraid the world might see in Gaza?

If governments will not act, we must."

Who was on board?

The ship carried 12 activists.:

• Greta Thunberg – Sweden

• Rima Hassan – France (Member of European Parliament)

• Yasemin Acar – Germany

• Baptiste Andre – France

• Thiago Avila – Brazil

• Omar Faiad – France; Al Jazeera Mubasher correspondent

• Pascal Maurieras – France

• Yanis Mhamdi – France

• Suayb Ordu – Türkiye

• Sergio Toribio – Spain

• Marco van Rennes – Netherlands

• Reva Viard – France

International reactions

The incident has sparked global outrage and condemnation. Spain summoned Israel’s charge d’affaires over the incident, Türkiye condemned the interception, calling it a violation of international law and describing Israel as a “terror state” and French lawmakers from France Unbowed echoed the call, labelling the act a breach of maritime law. There has been no official response yet from Germany, Brazil, France, or the Netherlands, whose citizens were also aboard.

IOL NEWS