The humanitarian ship Madleen, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, has been violently intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters on June 9. On board were 12 unarmed volunteers from across the world, including climate activist Greta Thunberg and French MEP Rima Hassan. The ship was carrying urgently needed food, medical supplies, and water purification equipment for the people of Gaza.
Their mission was simple: to deliver life-saving aid to a besieged population deliberately starved by Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. Instead, they were met with violence. Volunteers were kidnapped at gunpoint for attempting to bring basic humanitarian relief.
Attacking a civilian humanitarian mission in international waters is a blatant violation of international law, including the principles protecting freedom of navigation and the delivery of humanitarian aid during armed conflict. This illegal act is part of Israel’s ongoing genocidal policy of collective punishment and siege against the Palestinian people.
This is not an isolated incident. In 2010, Israel attacked the ship Mavi Marmara, killing 10 aid workers. Again and again, Israel has responded to peaceful humanitarian efforts with military force. Earlier in May this year, another humanitarian ship, Handala, part of the flotilla, was attacked by an explosive drone near Malta in international waters.
What is happening in Gaza is an extermination campaign through siege, starvation, and relentless bombing, carried out by apartheid Israel with the full support of the United States. Blocking food, medicine, and clean water is a crime against humanity.
CPI(ML) stands in full solidarity with the people of Gaza and with the brave international volunteers who risked their lives to break the blockade. We demand the immediate release of all those detained and an end to the genocidal war and inhuman siege of Gaza.
