Harare, (New Ziana) — The embassy of the State of Palestine has strongly condemned the interception and seizure of a humanitarian aid ship, the Madaleen, en route to Gaza over the weekend, describing it as an act of “maritime piracy”.
The vessel, carrying 12 international volunteers including prominent climate activist Greta Thunberg and French MEP Rima Hassan, was reportedly intercepted in international waters.
In a strongly worded statement, Palestinian ambassador to Zimbabwe, Tame Almassri, denounced the action as “state-sponsored terrorism,” asserting that Israel’s seizure of the ship and abduction of its passengers amounts to a serious breach of international law.
“This heinous act by the Israeli genocidal state is a clear manifestation of maritime piracy. The international community must not remain complicit through silence.
The activists on board were courageously attempting to deliver essential aid to Palestinians trapped under siege in Gaza,” he said. He said all communication with the Madaleen and its passengers has been severed since the interception, raising urgent concerns for the safety and well-being of those detained.
The ship was part of a solidarity mission aimed at breaking the Israeli blockade on Gaza, which Palestinian authorities describe as a form of collective punishment, said Akmassri.
The siege on Gaza, now in its 18th year, has intensified since October 2023 amid a devastating Israeli military campaign that has claimed the lives of over 54 880 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children, and injured more than 126 000 others.
Aid organizations and local officials report that access to food, water, medicine, and basic humanitarian supplies remains critically limited. Almassri accused Israel of deliberately weaponizing starvation and transforming aid distribution points into deadly zones.
“Sites meant for distributing life-saving assistance have become mass slaughterhouses. At least 115 civilians have been killed while trying to access aid, and over 1 110 have been injured,” he said.
He emphasized the symbolic and humanitarian significance of the Madaleen’s mission, which sought to draw global attention to the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, while hailing the bravery of the international volunteers, many of whom had traveled at great personal risk to deliver aid.
Among the abducted is Greta Thunberg, known globally for her outspoken climate activism and human rights advocacy, and Rima Hassan, a sitting member of the European Parliament, further raising the diplomatic stakes of the incident.
Palestinian authorities are now calling for urgent international intervention, demanding the immediate and unconditional release of all those detained, and the end of what they term Israel’s “genocidal war” on Gaza.
“The world must not look away. It is time for concrete action, not just condemnation. The blockade must end. The war must end. And those responsible for these crimes against humanity must be held accountable,” he said.
There has not been any official response from Israeli authorities regarding the status of the Madaleen or its passengers with several human rights organizations calling for an independent investigation into the seizure and the broader implications for international maritime law and humanitarian access.
New Ziana
