Four 'Madleen' activists deported, eight still detained by Israeli Occupation
Four of the twelve international activists detained after their Gaza-bound aid ship, the 'Madleen', was intercepted by 'Israeli' forces have now been deported, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) confirmed in an update.
Eight others remain in detention in Israeli Occupation and are set to face a tribunal after refusing to consent to their expulsion.
The deported activists include prominent Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Baptiste Andre of France, Sergio Toribio of Spain, and Al Jazeera journalist Omar Faiad.
Read more: LIVE UPDATES: Tracking Madleen Gaza freedom flotilla
Those still in custody are Suayb Ordu from Turkey, Mark van Rennes from The Netherlands, Thiago Avila from Brazil, Yasemin Acar from Germany, and French nationals Pascal Maurieras, Reva Viard, Rima Hassan, and Yanis Mhamdi.
According to the FFC, lawyers from the Adalah legal center have met with most of the detained activists. The coalition stated that 'Israel' is treating the activists as if they had entered the country illegally, a claim the activists vehemently dispute. They maintain they were forcibly abducted from international waters and brought to 'Israel' against their will.
The detained activists were given a choice: sign deportation orders or remain in detention to appear before a tribunal. The eight who refused to sign will now legally challenge the interception as unlawful and their detentions as arbitrary. Their legal counsel will argue for their immediate release without deportation and for their right to return to the 'Madleen' to continue their humanitarian mission.
In a strongly worded statement, the FFC condemned the detentions as "unlawful, politically motivated, and a direct violation of international law." The group anticipates the tribunal will ultimately order the activists' forced expulsion, describing Israeli Occupation's legal system as one "founded on colonization, occupation, and apartheid."
The coalition also drew attention to the broader context of 'Israeli' detentions, citing figures from the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association. As of early June 2025, Addameer reports over 10,400 Palestinians are held in 'Israeli' prisons, including more than 3,500 without trial or charge. The FFC acknowledged that the "passports of privilege" held by the international activists shield them from the severe conditions faced daily by Palestinian detainees.
