The ship "Madeleine" arrives in Ashdod, and Israeli prisons prepare to detain its activists.

The aid ship "Madeleine" arrived at the port of Ashdod in central Israel, carrying the 12 activists who were arrested by Israeli commandos after being prevented from reaching the Gaza Strip to break the tight blockade on the territory, according to the Israeli Broadcasting Authority.

Israel Hayom reported that the Prison Service is preparing to detain the Madeleine activists and has prepared separate cells for them at Givon Prison in Ramle.

She added that National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir ordered a ban on the entry of communication devices, radios, and televisions into prisons, and a ban on any Palestinian symbols.

The Israeli human rights organization Adalah called on the Tel Aviv authorities to immediately reveal the whereabouts of the activists who were on board the Madeleine and were forcibly detained.

Last night, the Israeli military seized the aid ship and detained all activists on board, following threats on Sunday to prevent it from reaching the Gaza Strip and demand its return.

The Israeli Ministry of Defense said that all passengers on the ship are safe and will return to their countries.

The Israeli army also broadcast footage of the moment all foreign activists on board the Madeleine were arrested.

Israeli Army Radio quoted a source as saying that the activists on board the ship will be interrogated at a military base in the port of Ashdod, and that they will be shown a film about the events of October 7, 2023.

Widespread condemnation

Hamas described Israel's interception of the Gaza solidarity ship "Madeleine" at sea as organized state terrorism, a violation of international law, and an attack on civilian volunteers acting on humanitarian grounds.

The movement saluted the solidarity activists on board the ship, who affirmed that Gaza is not alone and that the conscience of humanity remains alive. The movement demanded the immediate release of the activists, holding the occupation responsible for their safety.

The United Nations and international organizations called for condemnation of this crime and action to break the blockade. They praised all international initiatives to break the blockade, stressing that the detention of the Madeleine will not halt global solidarity with Gaza.

For its part, the Islamic Jihad movement said that the Israeli occupation forces' storming of the Madeleine ship was a flagrant violation of international law.

The movement added that the ship's storming constituted an international kidnapping, adding the crime of piracy to the crime of genocide. It affirmed its full solidarity with the kidnapped activists, who it said responded to their humanity and conscience and took risks.

A source in the Spanish Foreign Ministry told Al Jazeera that his country had summoned the Israeli chargé d'affaires to protest what happened to the Madeleine.

Iran condemned Israel's interception of the aid ship "Madeleine," describing it as an act of "piracy."

"The attack on this ship constitutes a form of piracy under international law because it occurred in international waters," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said at a press conference in Tehran.

Türkiye, for its part, considered the Israeli forces' intervention against the Madeleine ship a clear violation of international law.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said that Israel "is once again showing that it is acting as a terrorist state."

Amnesty International also considered the Israeli seizure of the Madeleine a violation of international law, stating that the ship was seeking to bring humanitarian aid to break the illegal blockade of the occupied Gaza Strip.

She added that Israel, as an occupying power, has a legal obligation to ensure that civilians in Gaza have access to food and medicine.

For its part, the International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza described Israel as a "war criminal state" following its interception of the aid ship "Madeleine." It also called for the world to begin preparing more aid ships and sending them to starving Palestinians in the besieged Strip.

For her part, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied territories, Francesca Albanese, expressed her support for the Freedom Flotilla Coalition's operation and urged the dispatch of additional boats on Sunday to challenge the blockade on Gaza.

The Madeleine set sail from Italy on June 1, carrying 12 activists from France, Germany, Brazil, Turkey, Sweden, Spain, and the Netherlands, to break the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip, which is suffering from a catastrophic humanitarian situation.