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Some of the activists and journalists detained along with Greta Thunberg were set to be deported to their home countries, Israel’s foreign ministry said.
They were “expected to leave within the next few hours”, the ministry said, without clarifying if Ms Thunberg was among the volunteers being sent back.
The Madleen boat was towed to the Ashdod port after Israeli forces intercepted the Gaza-bound vessel off the coast of Egypt.
The UK-flagged boat, which was carrying a symbolic amount of aid and intended to break Israel’s naval blockade around Gaza, in place since 2007, was intercepted in the early hours of Monday morning.
“Those who refuse to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial authority, in accordance with Israeli law, to authorize their deportation. Consuls from the passengers’ home countries met them at the airport,” the ministry said in a statement on X.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which organised the voyage, earlier said the volunteers were “kidnapped by Israeli forces” while trying to deliver desperately needed aid to the besieged Palestinian territory.
Meanwhile, Israel continued its assault on Gaza, killing three medical services staff and a journalist in strikes on the Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City, local media reported on Monday.
Eight of the 12 activists detained aboard the Madleen and transported to Israel are refusing to sign their deportation papers, local media is reporting.
Israel intercepted the Gaza-bound Madleen in the early hours of Monday off the coast of Egypt, as they attempted to break Israel’s 18-year naval blockade of the enclave.
Israeli officials said the activists would be detained at the port of Ashdod and deported immediately to their respective countries.
But Israeli broadcaster Kan says eight of the activists are refusing to sign their deportation papers.
Suhad Bishara, the legal director at Adalah, a Palestinian-run legal centre in Israel representing the detained activists, said some of them may “not agree to fly without a legal consultation, because the assumption is that they will have to need to sign some documents”.
“In this case, they will be moved to a detention centre in Ramleh, awaiting a tribunal for immigration,” Bishara said.
The legal team of the activists aboard the ship Madleen will be allowed to meet their representatives, nearly 24 hours after the Israeli officials detained them.
Climate activist Greta Thunberg was among a dozen activists who were part of the aid ship carrying food, which was aiming to break Israel’s blockade on Gaza, before it was seized in international waters and towed to Ashdod Port.
Adalah, a human rights organisation in Israel, said they expected to meet the activists shortly, but only after they issued multiple requests to the Israeli authorities.
“After multiple requests to meet with the volunteers, Adalah’s legal team has arrived at the airport and is expected to meet with them shortly,” they said in a statement.
Namita Singh10 June 2025 07:24
The Israeli navy carried out attacks on Yemen’s Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Israeli army radio said on Tuesday, in an ongoing campaign that usually involves airstrikes.
Houthi-run Al Masirah TV said Israel targeted the docks of Al Hodeidah port with two strikes.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
The strikes come after the Israeli military on Monday urged the evacuation of the Houthi-controlled ports of Ras Isa, Hodeidah, and Salif.
Since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, the Iran-aligned Houthis have fired at Israel and at shipping in the Red Sea in what it says are acts of solidarity with the Palestinians.
Most of the dozens of missiles and drones fired towards Israel have been intercepted or fallen short. Israel has carried out a series of retaliatory strikes.
Israel has severely weakened other allies of Iran in the region – Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The Tehran-backed Houthis and pro-Iranian armed groups in Iraq are still standing.
Namita Singh10 June 2025 07:01
US president Donald Trump said on Monday Iran is involved in negotiations aimed at arranging a ceasefire-for-hostages deal between Israel and Hamas.
“Gaza right now is in the midst of a massive negotiation between us and Hamas and Israel, and Iran actually is involved, and we’ll see what’s going to happen with Gaza. We want to get the hostages back,” Trump told reporters during an event in the White House State Dining Room.
President Donald Trump answers questions from members of the press during the Invest America Roundtable in the State Dinning room at the White House on 9 June 2025 in Washington, DC (Getty Images)
The United States has proposed a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Israel said it would abide by the terms but Hamas thus far has rejected the plan.
Under the proposal 28 Israeli hostages – alive and dead – would be released in the first week, in exchange for the release of 1,236 Palestinian prisoners and the remains of 180 dead Palestinians.
The United States and Iran are also separately trying to negotiate a deal on Tehran’s nuclear program.
Namita Singh10 June 2025 06:55
The foreign office staff workers were told to consider resigning after they raised concerns over UK’s potential “complicity” in Israel’s war on Gaza.
In a letter to foreign secretary David Lammy last month, the officials questioned UK’s continued arms sales and what they called a “stark… disregard for international law” by Israel, reported BBC.
In reply to the letter, sent from Sir Oliver Robbins and Nick Dyer, the senior civil servants in foreign office, the signatories were told: “[I]f your disagreement with any aspect of government policy or action is profound your ultimate recourse is to resign from the Civil Service. This is an honourable course.”
Namita Singh10 June 2025 06:40
The United Nations said on Monday that it has only been able to bring minimal flour into Gaza since Israel lifted an aid blockade three weeks ago and that has mostly been looted by armed gangs or taken by starving Palestinians.
The organisation has transported 4,600 metric tonnes of wheat flour into Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing, the only entry point Israel allows it to use, deputy UN spokesperson Fahan Haq told reporters.
Internally displaced Palestinians gather outside a charity kitchen to receive limited rations amid a shortage of food, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, 30 May 2025 (EPA)
Mr Haq said aid groups in Gaza estimate that between 8,000 and 10,000 metric tonnes of wheat flour were needed to give each family in Gaza a bag of flour and “ease the pressure on markets and reduce desperation”.
“Most of it was taken by desperate, starving people before the supplies reached their destinations. In some cases, the supplies were looted by armed gangs,” Mr Haq said.
According to World Food Programme guidelines, 4,600 metric tonnes of flour would provide roughly eight days’ worth of bread for Gaza’s 2 million residents, based on a standard daily ration of 300 grams per person.
Mr Haq called for Israel to let in far more aid via multiple crossings and routes.
Namita Singh10 June 2025 06:37
Yemen’s Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported on Tuesday that Israeli forces were conducting strikes on the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.
The report follows a statement from the Israeli military’s Arabic spokesperson late on Monday, posted on X, urging the evacuation of the Houthi-controlled Yemeni ports of Ras Isa, Hodeidah and Salif.
No immediate confirmation of the strikes was available from Israeli authorities.
Namita Singh10 June 2025 06:02
The activists and journalist detained from the Madleen have “arrived at Ben Gurion Airport to depart from Israel and return to their home countries”, Israeli foreign ministry said in a statement on X.
The ministry announced that they were “expected to leave within the next few hours”.
“Those who refuse to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial authority, in accordance with Israeli law, to authorize their deportation. Consuls from the passengers’ home countries met them at the airport,” it added.
Namita Singh10 June 2025 05:04
Israel killed three medical services staff and a journalist during strikes on Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City, Palestinian media including Hamas-linked Shehab news agency said on Monday.
The three rescuers were killed while working to save wounded people and recover dead bodies in the neighborhood, Shehab reported.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It said earlier that its forces continued to operate against what it deemed “terrorist organizations” throughout the Gaza strip.
Namita Singh10 June 2025 05:02
Swedish activist Greta Thunberg has been detained along with 11 crew members of Madleen, reported Al Jazeera, quoting their lawyer.
The aid ship carrying food was aiming to break Israel’s blockade on Gaza, before it was seized in international waters and towed at Ashdod Port.
Activist Greta Thunberg sits aboard the aid ship Madleen, which left the Italian port of Catania on 1 June to travel to Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid, in this picture released on 2 June 2025 on social media (Reuters)
Namita Singh10 June 2025 04:38