Overview
- Israel’s navy stopped the Madleen about 200 kilometers from Gaza under a naval blockade established in 2007.
- The activists, including Greta Thunberg, were taken to Ashdod where they were offered Hamas atrocity footage before being flown out from Ben Gurion Airport.
- The Freedom Flotilla Coalition denounced the boarding as a breach of international law and pledged to continue its aid missions.
- Israeli officials dismissed the voyage as a publicity stunt, criticizing the symbolic aid load as insufficient for Gaza’s needs.
- The incident has reignited global debates on balancing Israel’s security concerns with the urgent humanitarian crisis in Gaza.