Somewhere between a misguided humanitarian mission and an awkward Mediterranean yacht party, the Madleen — a tiny sailboat carrying 12 impassioned activists, a few crates of juice, and a whole lot of attitude — is inching its way toward Gaza.
The Madleen, a small sailboat carrying pro-Palestinian activists, en route to Gaza © X
Somewhere between a misguided humanitarian mission and an awkward Mediterranean yacht party, the Madleen — a tiny sailboat carrying 12 impassioned activists, a few crates of juice, and a whole lot of attitude — is inching its way toward Gaza.
On board: Swedish climate celebrity Greta Thunberg, Euro-MP Rima Hassan, and a rotating cast of what appears to be part-time poets, full-time protesters, and at least one self-declared kombucha expert. Their mission? To “break the blockade,” “feed the starving,” and “look rebellious on Instagram” — all at once.
The Madleen, proudly part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, set sail from Sicily last Sunday. It was briefly interrupted when Libyan coast guards intercepted the boat after it “illegally rescued” four migrants. No international incident is truly complete without a bit of spontaneous maritime drama.
The cargo, according to organizers, includes fruit juice, protein bars, rice, canned beans, and possibly a couple of yoga mats — items best known for feeding about 1.5 people during a casual picnic. One might call it symbolic. Others might call it room-service-for-rebels.
While UN agencies move thousands of tons of aid via trucks and cargo planes, Madleen offers the minimalist alternative: small portions and large slogans. It’s a kind of floating TED Talk on justice, complete with nautical flair.
Founded in 2010, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition claims to be a “non-violent movement,” though its members have more political baggage than their boat has room for. Fiercely anti-Israel and often accused of flirting with antisemitism, the group positions itself as moral conscience afloat — even if most of the world is more concerned about actual food deliveries.
The Israeli government, so far, has rolled its eyes in silence. One defense official allegedly muttered, “If they want to deliver three cans of beans and a coconut water, let them.”
No word yet on what happens when (or if) Madleen reaches Gaza. But one thing’s for sure — the cruise has already succeeded in delivering one key resource to the Middle East: drama.
The Israeli military has retrieved the body of Thai hostage, Nattapong Pinta, who had been held in Gaza since Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday.
October 7, 2023, marked a blood-red date on Israel's calendar, and that of the Jewish people. The barbarity of Hamas and its accompanying hordes is unparalleled in the contemporary world, with its procession of violence, hatred, rapes, and massacres.
The so-called Freedom Flotilla, en route to Gaza on a mission of political defiance and symbolic aid, found itself unexpectedly docked — not in Palestinian waters, but in hot Libyan territory — after rescuing four migrants who jumped overboard to escape a police operation on shore.
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