The Madeleine is still on its way from the open sea to the port of Ashdod, on a journey described as "very slow," with no precise estimates of its arrival, according to the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (Kan 11) on Monday.
On board the sailing ship were 12 French, German, Brazilian, Turkish, Swedish, Spanish, and Dutch activists who set sail from Italy on June 1st to "break the Israeli siege" on Gaza, which is suffering a catastrophic humanitarian situation amid Israel's war of extermination on the territory.
According to the report, the 12 activists are expected to be transferred, upon their arrival, from the Israeli military's custody to the police and the Israel Prison Service, pending their deportation by air via Ben Gurion Airport following their interrogation.
Meanwhile, the Israel Prison Service is preparing to receive the activists at Givon Prison in Ramle, designated for "illegal residents." Separate solitary confinement cells have been set up for each individual, equipped with basic supplies including soap, a toothbrush, and a T-shirt bearing Israeli slogans.
This comes under special instructions issued by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who issued strict instructions prohibiting the entry of any Palestinian "symbols or slogans" into the cells where activists will be held, pending their deportation to their countries of origin.
Ben-Gvir's instructions also included banning the entry of communication devices, televisions, and radios into cells, as part of a tightening policy that includes reducing contact with the outside world. The instructions came at the conclusion of a situation assessment session he held with Prison Authority Commissioner Kobi Yaacobi.
Members of the Israeli Prison Service's Nachshon unit will transport the activists from the Ashdod port in vehicles with tinted windows, aiming to minimize any public displays of solidarity during the transfer, according to the newspaper Israel Hayom.
The International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza described Israel on Monday as a "war criminal state" for intercepting the aid ship "Madeleine" as it approached the shores of the besieged Palestinian enclave, in a post on the X platform.
The committee called on activists around the world to continue supporting the twelve activists arrested by Israel on board the ship "Madeleine" early this morning. The committee said, "Continue writing, publishing, and sharing about the twelve heroes to pressure Israel to release them immediately."
She also called for the world to begin preparing more relief ships and sending them to the starving Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip. She emphasized that "if they stop one ship, a hundred more will follow, and if they capture 12, thousands will revolt."
שתף את דעתך
Tight restrictions on Madeleine activists in Israeli prison awaiting deportation