Israel still detains 3 Madeleine volunteers

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition announced that three members of its ship, the Madeleine, which was hijacked by Israel on its way to break the blockade of Gaza, are still being illegally detained.
The coalition said in a tweet on the X platform the day before yesterday that the Madeleine crew members, Pascal Moreiras, Yanis Mohammadi, and Marco van Rijn, remain unlawfully detained by Israel and may be held for another month.
The coalition, which organized the campaign to break the siege on Gaza, noted that after the team members were unlawfully arrested in international waters and deprived of their basic rights, they are being held in inhumane conditions, with only one hour of light per day, and are suffering from severe skin infections.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition described the incident as "not a detention, but a hostage-taking," and urged the French and Dutch governments to take immediate action to secure their release and safe return home, especially with airports in Israel closed due to its ongoing confrontation with Iran.
The coalition also called for humane treatment of the three detainees, their unification in a single detention facility, and respect for international law. It stressed that its struggle "will continue until Palestine is liberated."

Madeleine's kidnapping
Last Monday morning, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said that members of the Israeli military boarded its ship, the Madeleine, heading to Gaza, and that contact with it was lost. Israeli Army Radio reported that naval commandos had taken control of the ship.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition accused the Israeli occupation forces of kidnapping the volunteers aboard the Madeleine, before Israel deported some of the team members after their detention.
The Madeleine set sail in early June from the Italian port of Catania towards the Gaza Strip, on a voyage aimed at breaking the Israeli blockade.
The ship carried 12 activists of various nationalities, including Al Jazeera Mubasher correspondent Omar Fayyad, in addition to humanitarian aid including food, medicine, and medical equipment.
The Madeleine is the 36th ship in the Freedom Flotilla coalition, which aims to break the Israeli blockade imposed on the Palestinian Strip since 2007.
The ship is named after Madeleine Kullab, the first Palestinian female fisherman in the Gaza Strip. She lost her father and her livelihood after the outbreak of the Israeli war in October 2023.

Source: Al Jazeera + Agencies