The aid ship Madleem, loaded with vital humanitarian supplies for Gaza, reached Israel’s port of Ashdod on Monday evening under military escort, reports said.
Israeli forces seized the vessel early Monday, diverting it from its mission to deliver critical aid to the besieged enclave.
The vessel arrived in Israel escorted by Israeli warships.
The Madleen, which departed from the Port of San Giovanni Li Cuti in Catania, Italy, on June 1, was carrying urgent humanitarian supplies including baby formula, flour, rice, diapers, women’s hygiene products, water purification kits, medical items, crutches, and child prosthetics.
Organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the mission aimed to deliver aid directly to the people of Gaza amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Among those detained were French MEP Rima Hassan, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, German citizen Yasemin Acar, and others from Türkiye, Brazil, Spain, the Netherlands, and France.
Israeli authorities confirmed that the vessel was escorted to the port of Ashdod and announced that the 12 activists would be deported via Ben Gurion Airport.
Those who refuse to sign deportation documents may face legal proceedings or be held at a detention center in Ramle.
