Israeli forces intercepted a humanitarian aid boat headed for Gaza early Monday, detaining all 12 activists aboard including a Turkish citizen who called on Turks to apply pressure on Ankara for the government to take necessary steps for his release.
The incident drew sharp condemnation from Turkey, which in the past had experienced a diplomatic crisis with Israel over the deadly 2010 Mavi Marmara raid.
The 18-meter yacht Madleen, which set sail from Catania, Italy, on June 1 under the banner of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was carrying medical supplies, baby formula and a symbolic amount of aid to highlight what the United Nations has called a looming famine in Gaza.
Among those detained was Hüseyin Şuayb Ordu, a Turkish national who recorded a video before the vessel was boarded, urging Turkish citizens and officials to apply pressure on their government for his release.
SOS! the volunteers on 'Madleen' have been kidnapped by Israeli forces.
Hüseyin Şuayb Ordu is a Turkish citizen.
Pressure their foreign ministries and help us keep them safe!X : @MFATurkiye
IG : @tcdisisleri
FB : @T.C. Dışişleri Bakanlığı#alleyesonMadleen pic.twitter.com/X8sA4ja1BE
— Freedom Flotilla Coalition (@GazaFFlotilla) June 9, 2025
“If you are seeing this video, it means we have been intercepted at sea and I have been kidnapped by the IOF [Israeli Occupation Forces],” Ordu said, calling on friends and family to put pressure on the Turkish government to act swiftly to quickly his freedom.
Yasemin Acar, a dual citizen of Germany and Turkey, was also on board. Born in Berlin to a Kurdish family of Turkish origin, Acar has been active in campaigns related to social justice, refugee rights and anti-racism since her teenage years.
In the wake of the war in Ukraine, she co-founded the Berlin Arrival Support network, providing assistance to displaced individuals and coordinating with civil society institutions in Germany.
In recent years, Acar has taken a prominent role in pro-Palestinian initiatives. On the Madleen, she served as the media coordinator, helping draw international attention to the situation in Gaza.
Shortly after the pre-dawn operation, the Israeli military confirmed that the Madleen was intercepted approximately 185 kilometers off the coast of Gaza, in international waters, and had been rerouted to Ashdod.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a pro-Palestinian civil society network, condemned the boarding as a violation of international law and likened it to “kidnapping.”
Onboard were several prominent activists, including Swedish climate advocate Greta Thunberg and French MEP Rima Hassan. Videos released by the group showed the volunteers with their hands raised as armed Israeli forces boarded the vessel.
Connection has now been lost with the Freedom Flotilla. The Israeli occupation army have now boarded the Madleen. pic.twitter.com/E2OrJGcoOM
— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) June 9, 2025
The Turkish government condemned the operation as a “heinous attack,” while left-wing political groups such as the Labor Party (EMEP) issued strong statements, accusing Ankara of remaining silent in the face of Israeli aggression.
The episode has revived memories of the 2010 Mavi Marmara raid, in which Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish citizens and an American citizen of Turkish descent during a similar aid mission to Gaza. The deadly raid led to a deep freeze in diplomatic relations between Turkey and Israel.
However, in 2016, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a stunning reversal by restoring ties with Israel in exchange for a compensation deal.
Under the agreement, Israel paid $20 million to the families of the victims, and Erdoğan’s government dropped its criminal case against top Israeli commanders — despite prior promises to pursue justice.
At the time, Erdoğan also took aim at the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (İHH), the Turkish NGO behind the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla, accusing it of defying government authority and engaging in “showmanship” by proceeding toward Gaza without official approval — a sharp rebuke that came after the group criticized his decision to normalize ties with Israel.
Although the Turkish-Israeli rapprochement remained fragile in subsequent years, both sides engaged in increasing economic and intelligence cooperation.
The Madleen’s seizure now threatens to reignite public anger in Turkey, particularly among civil society groups and Gaza solidarity activists who view Ankara’s past concessions as betrayal.
The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the Israeli raid on the Madleen, calling it a blatant violation of international law and an attack on maritime security, and accused the Israeli government of acting like a terrorist state by obstructing humanitarian aid and using starvation as a weapon in Gaza.
However, Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, a member of parliament from Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish party, accused the government of hypocrisy, highlighting that despite condemning Israel’s actions, Ankara continues trade relations with the country.
Gergerlioğlu shared shipping records showing that the Marlabull, a vessel operated by the Israeli company ZIM, had docked at Israel’s Ashdod port on the same day the Madleen was seized, after allegedly being loaded at Turkey’s Derince port, with government approval.
While #Madleen must be released immediately, every Mediterranean port should send boats with aid, solidarity, and humanity to Gaza. They shall sail together—united, they will be unstoppable.#BreakingTheSiege is a legal duty for states, and a moral imperative for all of us. pic.twitter.com/FeaD1Fq4Dk
— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) June 9, 2025
Despite Israel’s interception, flotilla organizers vowed to continue their efforts, urging international solidarity missions to challenge the blockade by sea.
Meanwhile, Ordu remains in Israeli custody, and it is unclear if Ankara will take meaningful diplomatic steps, or whether this episode, like the Mavi Marmara, will end with words instead of action.
Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza following a Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 that resulted in the death of 1,206 people and the taking of some 250 hostages.
According to the health ministry in Gaza, the Israeli military has killed at least 54,880 Palestinians since the 2023 attack.
A report released by Amnesty International on December 5 concludes that Israel’s actions in Gaza qualify as genocide.
In its 2025 report, The State of the World’s Human Rights, Amnesty International described 2024 as the year the world became a passive audience to a “live-streamed genocide” in Gaza, as Israel killed thousands of Palestinians and razed entire communities. It warned that the continued arms transfers and political cover provided by powerful states, including the United States and Germany, revealed a global order willing to ignore genocide in plain sight.
Israel’s indiscriminate bombings and blockade have deprived the Gazan population of essentials such as food, water, fuel, electricity and medical supplies, resulting in a severe humanitarian crisis.