Al Jazeera condemned Israel’s raid on the Gaza-bound Madleen aid ship and demanded the release of its detained journalist, calling the seizure a violation of international law and press freedom.

Al Jazeera Media Network has condemned the Israeli raid on the Madleen, a humanitarian aid ship bound for Gaza, and the detention of its correspondent Omar Fayyad, who was aboard the vessel covering the mission.

The Qatar-based broadcaster said it held the Israeli government “fully responsible for the safety” of Fayyad and the other detained activists.

The Madleen, carrying humanitarian supplies including flour, baby formula, and crutches, was part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s attempt to break the Israeli blockade on Gaza.

Twelve international activists were on board, from countries including France, Germany, Brazil, Turkey, Sweden, Spain, and the Netherlands.

According to Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, five Israeli naval boats intercepted the Madleen around 2 a.m. on Monday, as it approached Gaza.

The vessel was surrounded in international waters off the Egyptian coast near Port Said. Two drones reportedly hovered overhead as Israeli forces boarded the ship.

“The captain is instructing the team to stay calm and seated, with their passports and life jackets on,” Albanese said in a post on X. Activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and French MEP Rima Hassan, reportedly told Israeli forces they were carrying aid and intended to leave peacefully.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) confirmed that its civilian vessel was forcibly intercepted at 3:02 a.m. CET in international waters (coordinates: 31.95236° N, 32.38880° E). According to the group, Israeli forces “unlawfully boarded” the ship, “abducted” its unarmed crew, and confiscated its cargo of humanitarian supplies.

“Israel has no legal authority to detain international volunteers aboard the Madleen,” said Huwaida Arraf, a human rights attorney and FFC organiser. “This seizure blatantly violates international law and defies the ICJ’s binding orders requiring unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza. Their detention is arbitrary, unlawful, and must end immediately.”

The coalition described the incident as part of a broader pattern of Israel “acting with total impunity”, citing a previous Israeli drone strike on the Flotilla’s Conscience vessel in May, which injured four civilian volunteers. That attack also took place in European waters and, according to the group, constituted a breach of international law.

“The world’s governments remained silent when Conscience was bombed. Now Israel is testing that silence again,” said FFC organiser Tan Safi. “Every hour without consequences emboldens Israel to escalate its attacks on civilians, aid workers, and the very foundations of international law.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry later confirmed that the ship had been diverted to Israeli shores. In a statement posted on X, the ministry dismissed the mission as a “media stunt” by “celebrities” and downplayed the aid on board as “less than a single truckload.”

“The ‘selfie yacht’ is safely making its way to Israel. The passengers are safe, were provided with sandwiches and water, and are expected to return to their home countries,” the ministry said.

Al Jazeera demanded the immediate release of its journalist, stating that Fayyad was reporting as part of the network’s international coverage. The network called his detention a violation of press freedom and said it holds the Israeli government accountable for any harm that may come to him.

The Madleen mission comes amid what international organisations are calling a “catastrophic humanitarian crisis” in Gaza. According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), over 1 million people are in an “emergency” hunger phase, with nearly half a million facing famine conditions.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that only 19 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remain operational. Northern Gaza, in particular, has virtually no functioning medical infrastructure. Access to food, clean water, and medicine remains critically limited due to Israel’s ongoing blockade.