Zeynep ConkarStanding on the deck of a small civilian vessel loaded with aid for Gaza, Yasemin Acar’s voice carried the weight of defiance and hope. She spoke of justice, but more than that, of a future she refused to let Zionism steal.
Acar is one of 12 international activists who have embarked on a rare attempt to reach the besieged Gaza by sea, before being detained illegally by Israeli forces late on Sunday.
“The people of Gaza are not strangers. They are our sisters, our brothers, no less our family than those we left behind,” Acar, a Germany-based activist aboard the Madleen, told TRT World over a patchy satellite connection before the Israeli assault.
Launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) and named after Gaza’s first and only fisherwoman, the Madleen had set sail from Catania, Sicily, on June 1, aiming to deliver humanitarian supplies to Palestinians trapped under a devastating blockade.
“We finally broke through bureaucratic warfare and even drone attacks in Malta. Not because it was easy, but because we believe in this mission. And when you believe in something so deeply, giving up simply isn't an option,” Acar said as the vessel neared Palestinian waters.
The mission, entirely peaceful and civilian, was one of the last possible efforts to deliver aid to Gaza, where the population faces starvation and mass displacement amid Israel’s ongoing genocide.
But before it could reach its destination, the Madleen was intercepted in international waters, seized by Israeli naval force that surrounded the vessel and ordered the unarmed civilians on board to raise their hands, according to a live broadcast before communication was lost.
Global condemnation poured in after the abduction.
Hours earlier, Acar had warned that any attack on the Madleen would constitute “yet another war crime.”
“They’re the ones armed. We carry no weapons – only humanitarian aid… If Israel attacks us, it would just be another addition to their long list of war crimes.”
Who is on board?
The crew, along with Acar, include human rights defenders, healthcare workers, and lawmakers from across the world, including Sweden, France, Spain, Brazil, Türkiye, and the Netherlands.
Among them are prominent figures like climate activist Greta Thunberg and French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan.
The Madleen carried supplies urgently needed in Gaza: rice, flour, baby formula, nappies, crutches, water filters, and medical items, including children’s prosthetics.
The unarmed ship took about seven days for the journey.
Its progress was monitored in real time, via a Garmin live tracker installed onboard, by Forensic Architecture, a multidisciplinary research group based in London.
For Acar, the mission was deeply personal.
“Being a human being means refusing to look away. It means using every part of ourselves, our voices, our strength, our presence for those being silenced,” she said.
The humanitarian voyage had already faced surveillance and safety threats before Israeli forces ultimately abducted those on board.
Late Tuesday night, while the Madleen was sailing about 68 km outside the Greek territorial waters, a surveillance drone was seen circling overhead.
The crew issued a distress signal, and the drone was later identified as a Heron operated by Greece’s Hellenic Coast Guard.
But this was not the only drone sighting. When TRT World reached out to Acar for an interview on Thursday night, she said another drone had appeared above the ship just hours earlier, again during the night.
The origin of the second drone remains unknown.
The repeated aerial surveillance had raised concerns among activists on board, especially after Israel targeted another flotilla ship, Conscience, with a drone strike in international waters near Malta weeks earlier.
Why this moment matters
Since 2007, Israel has imposed sweeping restrictions on the movement of people and goods by land, air, and sea, fully controlling Gaza’s borders and plunging the Palestinian territory’s 2.3 million residents into untold misery.
Under international humanitarian law, occupying powers must ensure the welfare of civilian populations and allow free passage of humanitarian aid.
In a 2023 ruling, the International Court of Justice reaffirmed that states must take all necessary steps to prevent genocide, including permitting unimpeded aid to populations at risk of famine, obligations Israel has yet to fulfill.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s mission is protected under international maritime and humanitarian law, which bars Israel from intercepting any vessel in international waters carrying aid to a starving population.
Especially since October 7, 2023, Gaza has been under what UN experts have called a total siege. Aid entry by land has been throttled, with convoys constantly delayed, bombed, or looted.
Over the past week, over 60 Palestinians were killed in just three days after Israeli forces opened fire at a recently set up food distribution centre in Rafah. The killings have fueled backlash against the Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a new controversial aid body operating outside the UN.
The blockade of Gaza, however, predates this genocide, said Acar. “Gaza has been an open-air prison since 2007. The world’s silence then laid the ground for today’s horror,” she said.
“Now, Palestinians are being starved. Hunger is being used as a weapon of war. They’ve been genocided for almost 20 months, and still they scream to a world that refuses to hear, but we hear them.”
Remembering the Mavi Marmara
The most well-known attempt to reach Gaza by sea was the 2010 Gaza Freedom Flotilla, involving six ships, including the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara. The aim was to break Israel’s naval blockade and deliver much-needed aid directly to the besieged territory.
The Mavi Marmara was carrying humanitarian aid supplies, including medical equipment, food, and other essential goods. But the aid never reached the territory.
As the flotilla neared Gaza, Israeli naval forces launched a violent raid on the Mavi Marmara, killing 10 Turkish humanitarian workers and injuring many others. Many were shot at close range, including one who was shot in the head while already wounded and lying on the deck.
A UN fact-finding mission concluded that Israel’s blockade was unlawful and the raid was "excessive and unreasonable".
Despite the backlash, Israel has continued to intercept and detain flotilla participants, often seizing aid and refusing to deliver it to Gaza. Smaller missions in 2011, 2015, and 2018 were also blocked.
What makes the latest attempt historic was both its timing – the mission coincided with an ongoing genocide in Gaza – and the broad international backing it has drawn.
The UN, along with many humanitarian organisations, has called on Israel to let the Madleen pass, issuing public warnings that interfering with its passage would violate international law.
Back on board, Acar reflected on the risk and meaning of the journey.
“We believe in the self-determination of Palestine. We believe in truth. And though our families back home may carry hearts heavy with worry, they know exactly who they raised,” she said.
“They know the fire of justice in us burns brighter than fear.”
