All-New Freedom Flotilla Ready to Launch for Gaza!

Right, so as was breaking news yesterday afternoon as I was finishing up my coverage of the remaining 8 crewmembers of the Madleen being kept in inhumane, unhygienic conditions and subject to mockery and abuse, all of a sudden it came out that they were being released. Six of the eight have now been released and have returned home, with the two remaining French nationals due to be released today, though due to the attack on Iran and the closure of Israeli airspace that may not now happen.
The vessel was of course seized by Israel in international waters, an act of piracy and were taken back to Israel against their will, therefore kidnapped and the details of their incarceration are coming out in more detail now that they have been freed, but along with their freedom has come an announcement too, that a third Freedom Flotilla mission will soon be setting sail, because they will keep going for as long as it takes to shame Israel, raise awareness of their war of starvation and seek to break the siege. Unlike some nations who seem to be afraid of Israel and are currently blocking aid, and aid convoys inspired by the Madleen such as Egypt, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition will not be stopped.
Right, so as we known, back on the 9th June, a week ago now, the British flagged vessel Madleen, carrying twelve humanitarian activists, was intercepted in international waters roughly 185 km off Gaza’s coast by Israeli naval forces. Carrying a token amount of aid, symbolic of breaking the siege more than any significant amount, consisting of baby formula, rice, flour, medical equipment, and water desalination tools, the Madleen had departed from Catania on June 1. Its purpose was non violent protest and aid delivery to Gaza, spotlighting a blockade creating systematic starvation on top of the genocidal assault Israel were committing against Palestinian civilians.
Israeli naval forces—backed by drone surveillance, radio jamming, and even chemical dispersal—forced their way aboard. The crew had their belongings confiscated, communications shut down, and were towed to Ashdod, where they underwent medical checks and were detained farcically under Israeli law. On the contrary, this brazen Israeli act, of piracy on the high seas as it was tantamount to, constituted itself an illegal seizure of cargo and kidnapping of civilians which is a flagrant breach of international maritime law and human rights, but when are they ever applied to Israel?
Four crew members were deported immediately, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. Eight, however—among them French MEP Rima Hassan and Brazilian Thiago Ávila—were detained and incarcerated in prison despite not being guilty of any crime. They faced incommunicado detention, solitary confinement, with Avila and Hassan having entered into hunger strikes before both were deported yesterday, 12 June.
Six of the detained activists were finally deported on the 12th. But two remain still held: French nationals Pascal Maurieras and Yanis Mhamdi, who is a journalist for French outlet Blaze who are expected to be freed today, June 13.
Upon deportation, Rima Hassan touched down in Paris to a roaring welcome. She spoke powerfully to the assembled crowds, highlighting the abuse endured: forced cellphone confiscations, denial of legal representation, solitary confinement, being branded criminals despite remaining in international waters.
Yasemin Acar, another freed crew member who returned to Berlin, voiced defiance: despite abuse and humiliation, their commitment to Gaza remains unbroken and she has vowed to continue the campaign.
Acar went on record saying:
‘They kidnapped us, against our will, brought us and jailed us for almost four days…They are breaching international law while occupying Gaza. And the international community needs to stop its complicity. They need to stop sending weapons. They need to send aid instead of weapons.’
Adding insult to the injustice, Israel has declared all 12 Madleen crew members persona non grata, all of them banned from Israeli territory for the next 100 years, more time than Israel has existed for and frankly having now started a war with Iran, such a threat may end up proving to be an academic one. It’s a political move and clearly a stupid one, given Israel have acted with criminality here, not the crew of the Madleen—it’s a punishment for exercising humanitarian dissent in the face of genocide and starvation rather than criminal conduct, so all 12 should wear that as a badge of honour.
The Madleen mission was far more than a symbolic gesture. Its purpose was to export aid—from food staples to medical kit—into a Gaza with collapsing infrastructure and widespread famine. Peaceful, civilian-driven, and rights-focused, the project aimed to shine a light on what international observers are calling Israeli-driven starvation and genocide.
The appalling treatment and abuse suffered by the activists underscore the cruelty of the interception and subsequent legal treatment.
From inside Gaza, residents celebrated the Madleen, seeing it —however briefly—as morale-boosting evidence that “the world hasn’t forgotten us,” though I would suggest that ordinary people of the world haven’t forgotten and will not forget, because too many governments still clearly couldn’t care less and tokenistic votes at the UN as we’ve just borne witness to aren’t going to end the abuse either.
The Madleen’s stand galvanized solidarity amongst others too. The Samud Land Convoy, setting out from Tunis a few days ago, aimed to do on the ground what the Flotilla attempted at sea: break Gaza’s confinement. The convoy has already encountered official resistance crossing borders as it reached Egypt, having been welcomed to great fanfare as it passed through Algeria, Tunisia and even war torn Libya, but the momentum is unmistakable: flotillas and land convoys are emboldening social and political protest, resisting normalised siege.
Israel’s interception—boarding a civilian vessel in international waters, forcibly detaining and deporting activists—tramples foundational legal principles from the freedom of navigation under UNCLOS, to the prohibition of piracy and state-based seizure with force on high seas.
The prohibition of arbitrary detention and inhumane treatment and the collective punishment of the 12 individuals, punished not for crimes but for activism.
By ignoring these laws, Israel demonstrates the impunity with which it is conducting the Gaza blockade.
Upon returning to France and at the Paris gathering she attended, Rima Hassan issued something of an electrifying announcement:
‘I have one word for Israel: the next boat is getting ready to sail. It will be called Handala, and there will be all the boats we need to break the siege’
Yes, the third Freedom Flotilla mission is already preparing to depart, aboard the 18-meter Norwegian vessel Handala.
Why pick Handala? The ship takes its name from a Palestinian cartoon character, a 10-year-old refugee who always stands with his back to viewers—his identity marked by exile, waiting to return home. His stance symbolises steadfast resistance, the refusal to forget exile until true return is possible.
Handala the ship however, has already wandered several European ports—in Oslo, Stockholm, Malmö, Gothenburg, Berlin—and twice conducted solidarity missions last year, delivering both child-creative art and political messages to raise Gaza awareness.
Currently prepped in port—having weathered logistical setbacks—Handala is being readied for another attempt to reach Gaza. This time, it sails with the resolve and lessons of the Madleen behind it.
Each voyage, boarding, stenography of detention, returns with statements—Greta Thunberg, Rima Hassan, Yasemin Acar—brings global attention. These human narratives and testimonies penetrate international media, or indeed fill the void where said media leaves a vacuum, honouring Gaza’s suffering, challenging Israeli policies, and mobilizing solidarity movements. Refusing to forget or forgive, or ever stop trying to break the siege
They force a confrontation with the genocide-by-blockade narrative, the targeting of civilians providing aid and the utter disregard for maritime and humanitarian law.
The Madleen saga—and the looming Handala mission—continue to challenge and pose pressing questions of those refusing to answer for the plight of Gaza.
Will world governments passively accept Israel’s piracy and kidnapping and what may be to come on this next mission and how missions will it take to bring about a shift?
Will human rights bodies pursue action for violations of maritime law? The Hind Rajab Foundation for one is certainly already doing so, but are they going to be it?
Will activists continue to risk personal safety to shine a spotlight on this? The Freedom Flotilla will, the Samud Convoy and the March for Gaza are prepared to certainly.
Will we, as observers, allow Gaza to remain besieged by silence? Well, I certainly won’t be.
This story calls for moral clarity and collective action: to raise awareness, to challenge normalisation of colonial blockade, to show solidarity through political pressure, donations, or attending solidarity convoys if you are in a position to do so.
What began as a symbolic act by the Conscience, attacked off the Maltese coast by Israel, followed by the Madleen, seized and suppressed as that crew has been, fulfilled a deeper mission—it pierced the veil, it shone a light on the siege. It elevated voices, inspired the Samud Convoy, and rallied the world behind Gaza once more.
Now, with the Handala preparing to set sail, the third Freedom Flotilla mission beckons us to choose: stay silent or stand together for justice. The blockade must end. The hunger must stop. The genocide must continue to be exposed.
Let Madleen’s seizure be our wake-up call. Let Handala’s expected voyage be our signal: injustice must be confronted, not acquiesced to. As activists, governments, citizens, we all stand at a crossroads. Choose human rights over complacency. Choose solidarity over silence. Choose action over apathy.
What the Madleen has also done however, is shine a light on how little being British flagged means when you can just be hijacked and kidnapped and the British government says nothing about it. What I discovered upon looking into that though, was that British abandonment of British people and people under British protection was worse than just the example provided by the Madleen. Get all the details of that story in this video recommendation here as your suggested next watch.
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