This morning, Israeli authorities captured the aid boat Madleen, halting its mission to Gaza. Just hours before it was intercepted we spoke to Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who was aboard the vessel.
Early this morning, activists aboard the Madleen announced that their aid boat had been intercepted by Israeli forces and the passengers “kidnapped.” While the British-flagged vessel, operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FCC), seeks to draw attention to Gazans’ suffering, Israeli authorities have repeatedly sought to delegitimize the activists’ intentions and referred to the boat as a “selfie yacht” carrying “celebrities.”
They now claim that the passengers will be sent back to their home countries, but not before, as hard-line defense minister Israel Katz announced, forcing them to watch footage of the October 7 attacks. For now, attempts to contact the passengers have proven futile.
The Madleen set sail from Italy on June 1 with a clear mission: to break Israel’s blockade and deliver aid to starving civilians in Gaza. On board were twelve activists from across Europe who chose direct action in order to draw more attention to the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Palestine, which their governments have failed to address in any meaningful way. One of those passengers is French Palestinian member of European Parliament Rima Hassan, elected in June 2024 as a representative of the left-wing movement La France Insoumise.
Just hours before the Israelis intercepted the Madleen and arrested Hassan, she spoke with journalist Hanno Hauenstein about her motivations for joining the mission, the political backlash in France, and how she deals with the personal risks her Palestine advocacy entails.
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Auteur: Rima Hassan
