Overview

• Greta Thunberg and 11 activists departed Sicily’s Catania port on June 1 aboard the Madleen with milk and protein bars intended as a symbolic delivery to Gaza.
• Crew members issued an alert after sharing footage of a drone shadowing the Madleen as it sails west of Crete toward Palestinian waters.
• Brigadier General Effie Defrin, an IDF spokesman, said Israel is prepared to intercept the ship based on experience from earlier Freedom Flotilla operations.
• Britain, Canada and France have suspended trade talks and threatened sanctions if Israel does not ease its three-month blockade, and UN agencies warn of a looming famine in Gaza.
• Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry reports over 54,000 Palestinians killed since October 2023 under the blockade, and hostage negotiations with Hamas remain stalled.