Farrukh Abadi
Israeli naval commandos stormed the Gaza-bound flotilla Madleen on Monday morning (06/09), which was set to reach Gaza later that day to deliver humanitarian aid to starving Palestinians. The Israeli military abducted the passengers and took them to the naval base at the Port of Ashdod. Security officials have stated that they plan on deporting them the same night.
According to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the international coalition behind the Madleen flotilla aiming to break Israel’s blockade on Gaza, Israeli gunboats encircled the vessel and sprayed an unidentified white substance onto it with a drone. Passengers aboard the Madleen claimed the substance smelled horribly and made their eyes burn.
UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Francesca Albanese, stated that the vessel posed no security threat to Israel and that it had no legal authority to detain the ship on international waters.
Palestinian factions and other anti-imperialist groups in the Middle East have condemned the abductions. Hamas accused Israel of “organized state terrorism” and “maritime piracy” while praising the activists, stating, “Through their steadfast resistance to threats, these volunteers have once again proven that Gaza is not alone and continues to be supported by freedom-loving people worldwide.”
The flotilla has increased tension between European imperialist countries, whom the majority of flotilla members hold citizenship in, with Israel, which is bound to respond aggressively and disproportionately against the activists.
The abduction was praised by Israeli officials, with Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz stating, “I commend the army for its swift takeover of the ship and preventing it from breaking the blockade and reaching the shores of Gaza.”
Zionist Repression Brings More Mobilizations
The flotilla set sail from Sicily on June 1, carrying 12 international activists. The ship is named after a Palestinian fisherwoman Madleen Kulab in Gaza, who continued her trade in spite of the Israeli navy seizing her boat and fishing equipment in 2016. The flotilla was planned after a previous Gaza-bound aid ship was attacked by Israeli drones on May 2, 2025 while still off the coast of Malta. European leaders took no action of note despite the bombing happening on its coast.
The Israeli military has responded even more violently in the past, showing how much international pressure has increased against the Zionist entity since Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. In May 2010, a Turkish aid flotilla comprised of six ships carrying 10,000 tons of aid also set for Gaza was intercepted by Israeli forces. Israeli commandos descended onto the largest ship from helicopters and proceeded to carry out a massacre, killing 10 activists and injuring 29. The passengers used what they had on board to defend themselves, wounding 10 Israeli commandos.
Gaza remains under an illegal siege by the Israeli state. Over the past month, Israel and the US have utilized “aid” sites in the enclave as a means to further displace and starve the population, with Palestinians condemning the US-operated sites as concentration camps where Israeli forces have opened fire on corralled Palestinians seeking food.
Protests have erupted around the world in solidarity with the Madleen and more aid trips have been planned. On Sunday, a convoy of thousands of of volunteers set out from Algeria to deliver aid to Gaza. The convoy will pass through Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt before reaching Gaza, and is expected to recruit thousands of more volunteers and additional supplies on the way.
Photo: The crew of the Madleen is abducted by Israeli forces Monday morning. Footage released by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.
The Worker is an entirely volunteer-run revolutionary newspaper free from and radically antagonistic to corporate influence. We rely on the support of our readers to sustain our editorial line in service of the working class and the reconstitution of its party, the Communist Party. Make a one-time or recurring donation to our newspaper today:
Make a one-time donation
Make a monthly donation
Make a yearly donation
Choose an amount
Or enter a custom amount
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
