Hi All – Last Sunday, June 1st, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition launched a ship carrying food and humanitarian aid to Gaza, Called “Madleen,” the ship left port from Sicily and intends to reach Gaza by next Sunday. Aboard the Madleen is a crew of 12, including a famous actor, a member of the European Parliament, and Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. According to reports this afternoon, Israel plans to take action to intercept the boat.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition initially expected its aid ship, called “Conscience,” to sail from Malta a month ago, but Israeli drones attacked the ship in international waters, so damaging it that it could not be repaired and continue its voyage. Fortunately, no crew members were injured during the attack, which was a warning and certainly in the minds of the crew now aboard the Madleen, who are now just off the southwest corner of Crete. (You can follow the ship’s progress with this map/GPS tracker here.)
This morning Democracy Now! reached Greta Thunberg aboard the Madleen, She spoke about voyage’s mission, why it was necessary (Israel’s blockade), their concerns about any action that Israel might take to stop the voyage, and the crew’s commitment to support Palestinians and end the war. [See the Program]
Also useful for some background is this article from Common Dreams, “Freedom Flotilla Sets Sail for Gaza Carrying Aid and Demands: 'End the Blockade. End the Genocide'” from Common Dreams and a June 1st report from Aljazeera, “Aid ship aiming to break Israel’s siege of Gaza sets sail from Italy.”
Frequent updates from the Madleen’s crew can be read on the Freedom Flotilla's website. The most recent post is dated June 4, “Freedom Flotilla’s Response to Israels Threats to Attack.” It begins: “The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) strongly condemns Israel’s declared intent to attack Madleen, our civilian vessel currently sailing from Catania, Sicily toward Gaza. Madleen carries humanitarian aid and international human rights defenders in direct challenge to Israel’s illegal, decades-long blockade, and ongoing genocide.”
One way to support the Madleen and its crew is to donate money. One way to do this is here: https://usboatstogaza.org/donate/
Starvation in Gaza
The voyage of the Madleen takes on even more importance in the context of the 60-day food and humanitarian blockade by Gaza and the publicity generated by the chaotic attempt by the US and Israel to impose a method “to feed” Gaza that is part of a larger plan to concentrate Palestinians in southern Gaza in order to more easily control them and eventual to force them to leave Gaza or die.
For a useful introduction/background to Israel’s use of starvation as a genocidal weapon in Gaza, I recommend “Jeremy Scahill: Shadowy Israeli-U.S. Aid Plan Is Weapon in “Netanyahu’s War of Annihilation” in Gaza,” from Democracy Now! [May 29, 2025] [Link]; and “I’ve seen the reality of the new Israel-backed ‘aid’ for Gaza. It’s nothing more than a deadly PR stunt,” by Eyad Amawi, The Guardian [May 29, 2025] [Link].
Remembering the “Mavi Marmara” and other boats to Gaza
Fifteen years ago, six aid ships set sail from Turkey to Gaza, The largest was the “Mavi Marmara,” which was attacked by Israeli military people in international waters. The Mavi Marmara had a large crew, mainly of Turks, and Israel’s attack was deadly. Like the Madleen, we were able to follow the progress of the Mavi Marmara on its voyage, and see and hear the passengers and crew as the attack ensued. On May 31st, 2010, Democracy Now! Broadcast an interview with one of the coordinators of the flotilla, “Interview: At Least 15 Dead After Israel Attacks Gaza-Bound Aid Flotilla”:
Israeli forces have attacked a flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza strip. Dubbed the Freedom Flotilla, the ships were aiming to break Israel’s 3-year blockade of Gaza. At least 15 people were killed and dozens injured when Israeli troops attacked the lead ship in the convoy–the Turkish “Mavi Marmara”–early Monday morning. The attack happened in international waters, 75 miles off the coast of Israel and Gaza. We reached Adam Shapiro in New York a few hours after the attack. He’s a board member of the Free Gaza movement, one of the groups that coordinated the Freedom Flotilla. His wife Huwaida Arraf is the chairperson of the Free Gaza movement and is on the flotilla. Just before being kidnapped by Israel, Huwaida Arraf, Free Gaza Movement chairperson and delegation co-coordinator on this voyage, stated that: “No one could possibly believe that our small boat constitutes any sort of threat to Israel. We carry medical and reconstruction supplies, and children’s toys. Our passengers include a Nobel peace prize laureate and a former U.S. congressperson. Our boat was searched and received a security clearance by Cypriot Port Authorities before we departed, and at no time did we ever approach Israeli waters.”
A documentary film about the 2010 flotilla and the Israeli attack was made in 2019, “Lost at Sea.” You can see a 2-minute trailer here, and the full 56-minute documentary here.
Since 2010 there have been many “boats to Gaza” attempting (at least symbolically) to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza and to highlight the cruelty of Israel toward Palestinians. The Democracy Now! has had several dozen programs documenting the work of the Freedom Flotilla people. You can review and watch any/all of these programs at https://www.democracynow.org/topics/flotilla.
Best wishes,
Frank Brodhead
For Concerned Families of Westchester
