The Israeli Navy stopped the British-flagged Madleen, operated by the freedom Flotilla Alliance, as it tried to break through the naval blockade to reach the Gaza Strip.
freedom Flotilla said the ship was stopped overnight before it could reach the coast. The Israeli Foreign Ministry later confirmed that it had complete control of the ship.
On board were 12 people, including Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg and French European Parliament member Rima Hassan. The activists were detained by the Israeli army and taken to Israel's Ashdod port, which would later return home.
The ship carrying celebrities was safe en route to the Israeli coast. Passengers will be taken back to their countries, the Israeli Foreign Ministry wrote on social media X. All passengers were safe, unharmed and provided with clipboard and drinking water.
Rima Hassan confirmed on X that the freedom Flotilla crew was captured by the Israeli army in international waters at around 2am. A photo shows all members on the boat wearing life jackets, raising their arms high, and sitting gathered on the deck.
The Madleen carryed a small amount of relief goods, including rice and child's milk powder. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said the goods would be delivered to Gaza through real humanitarian channels and mocked that the goods not consumed by celebrities would be distributed.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has previously ordered the military to prevent Madleen from approaching Gaza, calling the trip an effort to propagate in support of Hamas. He said activists will be shown videos of Hamas' attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023 after they arrived at Ashdod port.
The Hamas movement condemned the ship seizure as a "state terrorism" and declared it "honorable to the activists".
Israel has imposed a naval blockade on Gaza since 2007, when Hamas controlled the area, citing the need to prevent weapons from reaching the armed group.
The blockade continues through many stages of conflict, including the current conflict after Hamas launched an attack that killed more than 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, according to Israeli data.
Francesca Albanese, UN special reporter for human rights in Palestinian territories, expressed support for freedom Flotilla's operation and called on other vessels to continue challenging the blockade. Madleens journey may be over, but the mission is not over yet, she wrote.
