IDF Intercepts Greta Thunberg’s Freedom Flotilla: ‘The Show Is Over’

The Israeli Defense Forces intercepted and boarded the “Freedom Flotilla,” which Greta Thunberg and her fellow activists planned to sail to Gaza. 

Upon boarding the vessel named “Maldeen” around 3:00 a.m., IDF troops gave the 12 left-wing activists aboard sandwiches and water.

“All the passengers of the ‘selfie yacht’ are safe and unharmed,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry posted to X. “They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over.”

All the passengers of the ‘selfie yacht’ are safe and unharmed. They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over. pic.twitter.com/tLZZYcspJO

— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) June 9, 2025

In a statement, the ministry said the boat was being taken to Israel and the passengers will be returned to their home countries.

In a prerecorded video message, Thunberg said she was “kidnapped” by the IDF.

“If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters,” she said. “I urge all of my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible.”

The group, which has been mocked as the “selfie flotilla,” is using the voyage as a publicity stunt in its attempt to break the Israeli blockade and bring humanitarian supplies to Gaza. The passengers are primarily left-wing activists, including Thiago Ávila of Brazil who has a long record of anti-Israel radicalism—including attending the funeral of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. 

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The ministry pointed out that the 59-foot boat included less than a single truckload of aid, while more than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza over the last two weeks. The Trump administration-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation successfully delivered more than 8 million meals to Gazans since its operation began less than a month ago, according to the organization.

“There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip — they do not involve Instagram selfies,” the ministry said. “The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the ‘celebrities’ will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels.”

According to United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, the flotilla was surrounded by 5 IDF speed boats prior to being intercepted.

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“I am with the flotilla online,” she posted to X. “The captain is instructing the team to stay calm and seated, with their passports and life jackets on. I hear them speaking with Israeli soldiers as I type… saying they are carrying humanitarian aid and go in peace. For the time being they are just circled. I am with them, recording everything.”

Albanese later added that the boat is continuing to sail, while the speedboats are “watching.”

I just spoke again with the Flotilla, incl its Comm Room in Catania

All looks calm and safe now. Speedboats watching; but the flotilla continues its sailing.

It will be a long night. And as they say and we say, "we are together". https://t.co/ya43ZyN7yF

— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) June 8, 2025

“Alert. Our bot [sic] is being surrounded,” Ávila posted to Instagram. 

French member of the European Parliament, Rima Hassan, was also detained.

On Sunday morning, Israel’s Minister of Defense, Israel Katz, announced that he instructed the IDF to prevent the “hate flotilla from reaching the shores of Gaza – and to take whatever measures are necessary to that end.”

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Katz called Thunberg “antisemitic Greta,” adding that she and her friends should turn back because they will “not reach Gaza.”

“Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade or assist terrorist organizations – at sea, in the air, and on land,” Katz said. 

The IDF previously told The Daily Wire that it is “prepared for a wide range of scenarios which it will act upon in accordance with the directives of the political echelon.”

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The group has been tasked with implementing President Trump’s aid initiative, designed to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches Gazan civilians while preventing Hamas from seizing supplies — a problem that has persisted since the war began following the group’s October 7, 2023, massacre.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry released a statement, reiterating that “the maritime zone off the coast of Gaza is closed to unauthorized vessels under a legal naval blockade.”

With recent reports of a “celebrities yacht” heading to Gaza, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to clarify the following:

The maritime zone off the coast of Gaza is closed to unauthorized vessels under a legal naval blockade, consistent with international law.

The yacht…

— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) June 8, 2025

An earlier version of this article mistakenly claimed that Liam Cunningham was aboard the Madleen. It has been confirmed that he was not onboard the vessel after it departed.