TEL AVIV, ISRAEL — Six international activists detained aboard the Madleen, a Gaza-bound aid ship intercepted earlier this week, have been deported by Israel, according to Palestinian legal rights group Adalah. Among them was Rima Hassan, a French-Palestinian member of the European Parliament, long barred from entering Israel due to her public support for Palestinian rights and boycotts of Israel, reported by Al Jazeera News.
The Madleen was seized in international waters, roughly 100 nautical miles off the Gaza coast, by Israeli naval forces. The vessel was part of a civil society-led humanitarian mission to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza and deliver critical supplies like rice and baby formula. It was escorted to Ashdod port Monday evening.
The deported group includes nationals from France, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, and Türkiye. Two additional French citizens remain in Israeli custody, expected to be deported Friday. Adalah stated that detainees were subjected to mistreatment, aggressive tactics, and even solitary confinement.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry mocked the mission, dismissing the Madleen as a “selfie yacht,” and published a photo of Hassan onboard a flight confirming her expulsion.
Earlier in the week, Greta Thunberg and three others, including an Al Jazeera journalist, were also deported.
From exile, deportee Yasemin Acar of Germany condemned her government’s complicity: “The siege is ongoing. People are starving. My country sends weapons. We must hold them accountable.”
All 12 passengers have been banned from entering Israel for the next 100 years.
Meanwhile, Gaza continues to face “catastrophic hunger”, according to the United Nations. Israel’s new aid system—run by the opaque Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF)—has replaced traditional UN networks. Since its launch, over 220 Palestinians have reportedly been killed while trying to access aid.
Even as activists are silenced and deported, their message grows louder: the blockade must end.
