Two activists, Pascal Maurieras and Yanis Mhamdi, both French nationals, are still being held at the Givon prison and were expected to be deported on Friday.
Six of eight activists still detained in Israel after the Gaza-bound aid ship, Madleen, was intercepted on Monday have been deported, according to the Israeli foreign ministry.
Rima Hassan, the EU MP, was deported on Thursday, along with Mark van Rennes from the Netherlands, Suayb Ordu from Turkey, Yasemin Acar from Germany, Thiago Avila from Brazil, and Reva Viard from France.
“The Israeli regime literally has the world record for the killing of humanitarians. In just the recent upsurge in genocide in the past year and a half, it has murdered 310 UN staff alone, many with their families.”@CraigMokhiber noted that Israel’s seizure of the Madleen and… pic.twitter.com/R3IWdDYShf
— Rachel Blevins (@RachBlevins) June 12, 2025
Human rights group Adalah said two others, Pascal Maurieras and Yanis Mhamdi, both French nationals, are still being held at the Givon prison and were expected to be deported on Friday.
Four others, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, were deported on Tuesday.
‘Punitive Measures’
Adalah, which provided legal representation for most of the activists, said in a statement that “While in custody, volunteers were subjected to mistreatment, punitive measures, and aggressive treatment, and two volunteers were held for some period of time in solitary confinement.”
The organization said it “protested this inhumane treatment to the Israeli authorities and demanded that it cease.”
The silence of EU institutions over the unlawful detention and punitive conditions imposed on EU citizens including MEP @RimaHas speaks volumes to the deep roots of Israelism in European institutional culture. https://t.co/CtRlot3B55
— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) June 11, 2025
The British-flagged Madleen set sail on June 6 from Sicily, Italy, for Gaza in an attempt to break an Israeli naval blockade on the enclave. Israeli forces seized the Madleen in international waters in the early hours of Monday and detained all 12 activists on board.
Adalah reportedly argued that Israel lacks jurisdiction, as the vessel was intercepted in international waters, rendering the detentions and deportation orders unlawful, according to the center.
Two of the activists, Thiago Avila, and Rima Hassan, had been held in solitary confinement for a period during their detention. Avila also embarked on a hunger strike during his detention.
Israel has ‘No Legal Authority’
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FCC) condemned the seizure of its civilian ship, the Madleen, saying the ship was “unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo—including baby formula, food and medical supplies—confiscated.”
“Israel has no legal authority to detain international volunteers aboard the Madleen,” said Huwaida Arraf, 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.”
Reporter: How did the Israelis treat you, we saw them giving sandwiches?@GretaThunberg: They probably have posted lots of PR stunts, they did an illegal act by kidnapping us in international waters but that’s not the real story here. The real story is the genocide in Gaza and… pic.twitter.com/nUywoRQel5
— Assal Rad (@AssalRad) June 10, 2025
The seizure of the Madleen followed the drone attack on one of its previous vessels, Conscience, which left four civilian volunteers “and the ship disabled and burning in European waters,” the FCC said, adding “That unprovoked assault violated international law.”
Doctor Baptiste André from the Madleen crew received a warm welcome in Marseille, France. pic.twitter.com/4JpNCdP6mE
— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) June 12, 2025
Over 55,000 Killed
Since Israel’s reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, it has killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip through a bloody and ongoing aerial bombardment.
On October 7, 2023, following a Palestinian Resistance operation in southern Israel, the Israeli military launched a genocidal war against the Palestinians, killing over 55,000, wounding more than 127,000, with over 14,000 still missing.
Israeli occupation forces opened fire on thousands of Palestinians attempting to reach the GHF aid distribution center in Rafah, southern Gaza. Several casualties have been reported. pic.twitter.com/4fctx017mm
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) June 12, 2025
Despite habitual condemnation by many countries around the world of the Israeli genocide, little has been done to hold Israel accountable.
Israel is currently under investigation for the crime of genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are now officially wanted by the International Criminal Court.
The Israeli genocide has been largely defended, supported, and financed by Washington and a few other Western powers.
(PC, Anadolu)
Lots of people pick on Greta, i used to. But she’s grown and matured since the early days when she seemed more like just a convenient mouthpiece than an independent activist. More power to her, and all of them. This was a brave thing they did.
Israel has deported six activists from the Madleen aid ship, including EU MP Rima Hassan, after intercepting the vessel in international waters.