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Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) strongly condemns the Israeli occupation forces’ assault on the humanitarian aid vessel Madeline in the early hours of Monday, June 9.
The ship was intercepted in international waters off the coast of Gaza, in a blatant act of aggression that violates international law.
The organization denounces the hijacking of the vessel and the abduction of its passengers—including volunteer journalists and international human rights activists—as a grave breach of the 1958 Geneva Convention on the High Seas and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Both conventions explicitly guarantee the right of safe passage for ships in international waters.
The Madeline, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition initiative, departed from Italy carrying symbolic humanitarian aid to Gaza. Onboard were journalists and activists from France, Germany, Brazil, Turkey, Sweden, Spain, and the Netherlands, united in an effort to break the Israeli-imposed blockade on more than two million besieged civilians.
According to WJWC's monitoring, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant preemptively ordered the vessel’s interception. In the early hours of June 9, Israeli drones reportedly released an unidentified white substance over the ship before it was encircled by quadcopters emitting high-decibel sounds designed to disorient and intimidate the passengers. Shortly thereafter, communications with the vessel were severed, and Israeli naval commandos stormed the ship, forcibly taking control.
WJWC condemns the Israeli military’s reckless disregard for international law and humanitarian norms. Shocking footage broadcast by Israeli sources showed armed soldiers ordering unarmed civilians—journalists and activists alike—to raise their hands at gunpoint in preparation for arrest.
Hebrew-language media reported that the detainees were transferred to Givon Prison in Ramla, where separate cells were prepared for journalists and activists. According to those reports, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has ordered the prohibition of all communications devices, radios, and televisions within the detention facility, and has banned the display of Palestinian symbols.
Women Journalists Without Chains emphasizes that this assault and abduction are part of a wider Israeli policy aimed at obstructing the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza and silencing those who seek to expose the human rights catastrophe unfolding there. This latest incident follows a similar attack on May 2, when Israeli forces launched an assault on the Conscience aid ship, causing a fire that engulfed the vessel. The ship, part of the Freedom Flotilla, was carrying human rights activists from 21 countries.
WJWC further notes that Israel continues to impose a total ban on international journalists entering Gaza—an unprecedented measure in modern warfare—which coincides with a systematic campaign of targeted killings against local journalists and their families. Since October 2023, Israel has killed 226 journalists in what appear to be deliberate attempts to suppress reporting on atrocities that have resulted in over 55,000 civilian deaths and the destruction of more than 70% of Gaza.
In light of these grave violations, Women Journalists Without Chains calls for:
· The immediate disclosure of the whereabouts of all abducted individuals.
· The unconditional and immediate release of all detained journalists and activists.
· Urgent international action to stop the ongoing acts of genocide in Gaza.
· Enforceable guarantees for the protection of journalists and humanitarian workers.
· Immediate and unrestricted access for international media and foreign correspondents to Gaza.
WJWC urges the international community, human rights organizations, and press freedom advocates to speak out forcefully and take concrete action to hold the Israeli authorities accountable for their crimes.
