When will they return to their respective countries? Propalestinian activists from the Madleen sailboat, Arranged by Israel While trying to rally The Gaza Bandwere transferred to Tel Aviv airport for their repatriation, the Israeli Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, five of the six French people did not want to sign their expulsion stop. They will therefore have to be tried in the coming days. The one who signed, on the other hand, should return to France on Tuesday.
Our consul could see this night the 6 French nationals arrested by the Israeli authorities. Their relatives were contacted. One of them has accepted a voluntary departure and should return today. The other five will be the subject of a forced expulsion process.
-Jean-Noël Barrot (@jnbarrot) June 10, 2025
“Those who refuse to sign the expulsion documents and to leave Israel will be brought before a judicial authority, in accordance with Israeli law, to authorize their expulsion,” warned the Israeli ministry on X, adding that activists had met the consuls of their respective countries at the airport.
The passengers of the “Selfie Yacht” arrived at Ben Gurion Airport to depart from Israel and return to their home countries.
Some of the “Selfie Yacht” passengers are expected to leave within the next few hours.
Those who refuse to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will… pic.twitter.com/szEHmd0rS0— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) June 10, 2025
Madleen tried to reach the Palestinian enclave with humanitarian aid et 12 Propalestinian activists on boardincluding the Swedish Greta Thunberg and the MEP LFI Rima Hassan, as well as two journalists. Escorted by two ships from the Israeli Navy, the boat arrived in the evening in the port of Ashdod, in southern Israel.
The coalition of the flotilla for freedom, which has chartered the boat, confirmed that its activists were in the care of the Israeli authorities and that they “could be authorized to leave from Tel Aviv” from the night of Monday to Tuesday. “We continue to demand the immediate release of all volunteers,” wrote the organization on X, saying that “their detention is illegal and constitutes a violation of international law”.
“We were intercepted”
The sailboat with Above French activistsGerman, Brazilian, Turkish, Swedish, Spanish and Dutch, had left Italy on June 1 To “break the Israeli blockade” of Gazain the grip of a disastrous humanitarian situation after more than 20 months of a war launched by the attack on Hamas on October 7, 2023 on Israel. The Israeli army said the boat had been “arranged” in the night, without specifying where.
“If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters,” said Greta Thunberg in a pre -recorded video shared by the coalition of the flotilla for freedom. Images broadcast by the latter show the activists on board wearing orange life jackets, hands in the air at the time of interception, some putting their mobile phone in accordance with the instructions. Shortly before, some threw their phone or tablet over board.
The coalition of the Flotilla for Liberty, launched in 2010, is a non -violent international movement to support the Palestinians, combining humanitarian aid and political protest against the blockade of Gaza.
France has “passed all the messages” to Israel so that “the protection” of its nationals, six in number, “is assured” and that they “can find French soil,” said President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, denouncing as A “scandal” the humanitarian blockade in Gaza.
“Advertising”
Tens of thousands of people gathered on Monday evening across France at the call of the left in support of these activists. Turkey denounced an “odious attack” and a “blatant violation of international law”.
After reaching the Egyptian coast, Madleen had approached Gaza despite the warnings of Israel against any attempt to “break the Gaza maritime blockade, the main objective of which is to prevent the transfer of weapons to Hamas”.
Benyamin Netanyahu’s government accused Monday “Greta Thunberg and the others (of having) tried to stage a media provocation for the sole purpose of advertising”.
Israel faces strong international pressure to end the war. The daily bombings of its army devastated the Gaza Strip, where the population is threatened with famine due to the siege and the strong limitations on humanitarian aid, according to the UN.
