The Israeli military intercepted and seized the "Madleen," an aid flotilla carrying 12 international activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan early Monday morning in international waters roughly 200 kilometers from the Gaza Strip.

Footage recorded by the crew aboard the civilian vessel show Israeli forces boarding the ship and ordering passengers to raise their hands. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which sponsored the mission, condemned the seizure, calling it a violation of international law.

“The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo — including baby formula, food and medical supplies — confiscated,” the coalition said in a statement.

Israel denied the claims, with its Foreign Ministry referring to the vessel as a “selfie yacht” on X, adding, “There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip — they do not involve provocations and selfies.”

All 12 passengers remain in Israeli custody in the coastal city of Ashdid and are expected to be deported to their home countries. Many onboard recorded messages before the seizure urging their governments to act in their defense.

“If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped by the Israeli occupational forces, or forces that support Israel,” Thunberg said in a message posted on X. “I urge all my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible.”

The vessel set sail from Catania port in Sicily on June 1, aiming to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. Videos from the departure show cheering supporters waving Palestinian flags. 

En route, the vessel reportedly stopped off the Libyan coast to “rescue four migrants,” according to the Associated Press.

12 Palestinians killed by Israeli military near aid distribution site yet again

The seizure comes as the Gaza Health Ministry announced that 12 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli military near an aid distribution center in al-Mawasi on Monday, bringing the latest death toll to at least 127 Palestinians killed this past week while attempting to access supplies from Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) centers.

Eyewitnesses say that locals carrying guns also participated in the attack, according to the Associated Press.

This comes only one day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted to funding gangs in Gaza allegedly tied to the Islamic State.

Aid organizations claim that at least one of these gangs, the “Anti-Terror Service,” has been stealing supplies from Palestinian civilians while Gaza faces imminent famine.

The group is composed of roughly 100 men and led by Yasser Abu Shabab, a Bedouin from Rafah who was a known criminal by the Gazan police prior to October 2023.

The Israeli military have not yet commented on the attack.