Israeli Forces Board Gaza-Bound Aid Vessel Carrying Climate Activist Greta Thunberg

Credit: FFC Media team

Israeli naval forces intercepted and boarded a British-flagged humanitarian aid vessel bound for Gaza early Tuesday, with climate activist Greta Thunberg among the crew attempting to deliver supplies to the blockaded territory.

The vessel Madeleine was forcibly boarded at 3:02 a.m. Central European Time in international waters at coordinates 31.95236° N, 32.38880° E, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which organized the humanitarian mission.

The ship was carrying baby formula, food and medical supplies when Israeli forces surrounded it with speedboats and drones before boarding in what organizers and a United Nations official described as a violation of international law.

"Israel has no legal authority to detain international volunteers aboard the Madleen," said Huwaida Arraf, a human rights attorney and Freedom Flotilla organizer. "This seizure blatantly violates international law and defies the ICJ's binding orders requiring unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza."

Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on Palestinian human rights, was in direct communication with the crew during the three-stage interception that began around 11 p.m. UK time Monday.

"The boat was surrounded by five speedboats," Albanese told ABC News Australia. "In a few minutes, things were calm. The captain has been extraordinary."

The situation escalated when Israeli forces deployed what crew members identified as armed drones. "They told me they had seen what copters, you know, the machines, the drones that can shoot," Albanese said. "So they took cover. And the boat was meanwhile being sprayed with a white substance."

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