Israel Detains Eight Gaza Ship Activists

(MENAFN) Eight international activists aboard the Gaza-bound aid vessel Madleen remain under Israeli detention, according to a human rights organization on Wednesday.

The group, Adalah, condemned the continued custody of the volunteers as "completely unlawful."

Adalah emphasized in their statement that "The volunteers must be released immediately and safely returned, either to the Madleen to resume their humanitarian mission to Gaza or to their countries of origin."

The organization demands their prompt liberation and safe repatriation.

The British-flagged ship was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters early Monday, resulting in the detention of all twelve crew members.

The vessel had departed from Sicily, Italy, on June 6, aiming to break through the Israeli naval blockade on Gaza.

This enclave has suffered devastating violence since October 2023, with nearly 55,000 casualties.

On Tuesday, Israeli authorities deported four of the detained activists, including Swedish climate advocate Greta Thunberg, sending them back to their respective homelands. However, eight activists remain held in custody.

Adalah reported that the detained activists face charges of unlawful entry into Israel.

The group clarified, "They neither sought to enter Israel nor intended to enter Israeli territorial waters."

Instead, the activists had planned to travel from Sicily through international waters directly into the internationally recognized territorial waters of the State of Palestine, specifically Gaza.

The activists currently held by Israel include Suayb Ordu from Türkiye, Mark van Rennes from the Netherlands, Rima Hassan, Pascal Maurieras, Yanis Mhamdi, and Reva Viard from France, Thiago Avila from Brazil, and Yasemin Acar from Germany.

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