Joy of Gaza aid boat's arrival turned to moment of fear, crew member says
Madleen expedition 'a movement of solidarity' with Palestinians, French doctor says
Dr. Baptiste André's shirt was still grimy when he walked out of the arrivals level at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris to a flurry of cameras, microphones and questions from journalists.
The French native was one of 11 crew members on the Madleen, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, and among the three — including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg — who signed deportation papers after the boat was seized by the Israeli navy on Monday before it could reach the Gaza Strip. (A fourth person, a journalist, also signed the papers.)
The coalition aims to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza and deliver a symbolic amount of aid. Most of the enclave's 2.1 million people have been displaced by war, and malnutrition is widespread, the United Nations says. Israel has dismissed the aid boat as a publicity stunt.
During a 20-minute impromptu news conference on Wednesday, André became visibly emotional as he referred to the courage of some of his colleagues in an Israeli jail who refused to sign deportation papers — something he said he felt he had to sign for personal and professional reasons.
André said the document he signed contained allegations that he had entered Israel illegally — a charge that is false, he said, because the boat was in international waters.
By the time the Madleen, a charity vessel, was boarded and seized by Israeli naval forces in the Mediterranean, André said, the crew felt a sense of disappointment. "We were able to make 90 per cent of our route, but we were not able to dock on the shores of Gaza," he told CBC News.
"The feeling onboard in the beginning was one of joy after many weeks of preparation," he said. "A lot of joy, but a lot of stress as well."
'Fear was very present'
André, who served as the onboard medic, and the crew began their journey on June 1, sailing from southern Italy with a boatload of humanitarian aid. The Madleen was destined to dock in Gaza, where the crew planned to distribute the aid to Palestinians, but its journey ended 100 nautical miles (185 kilometres) from the coast of Gaza.
It was about 3 a.m. local time on Monday, André said, when the crew was surrounded by Israeli drones before dozens of soldiers arrived and boarded the boat.
Each crew member had specific duties, and André said his were to make sure everyone was wearing their life-jackets; to collect cellphones and throw them in the water; and to collect kitchen knives that were used to make meals, put them in a box and throw it overboard.
He was also responsible for keeping grab bags that contained the crew's passports, bottles of water, medication and some food.
Controls of the Madleen were taken over by the Israelis, and the crew was brought to Ashdod, a city in Israel on the Mediterranean coast, "against their will," André said.
"The feeling onboard in that moment was one of fear, even though we had prepared with daily training to be able to manage all scenarios in the best possible way. But despite that, fear was very present."
Most crew members have been deported
Despite not making it to their destination, André said he still considers the expedition a "success," as the crew brought attention to the plight of Palestinians in Gaza.
"This mission was framed as a movement of solidarity — we played our part in it," he said.
Israel began a military campaign in Gaza after it was attacked by Hamas-led militants, who killed some 1,200 people and took about 251 hostage on Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli authorities say. Since then, nearly 55,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to health authorities in Gaza, and much of the densely populated strip has been flattened.
The Israeli government said on Thursday that six other crew members of the Madleen were released and taken to Ben Gurion Airport for flights to their home countries.
Lawyers with Adalah, a Palestinian-run legal centre in Israel, said crew members were subjected to "mistreatment, punitive measures, and aggressive treatment, and two volunteers were held for some period of time in solitary confinement."
Israeli authorities declined to comment on their treatment. The government said it treats detainees in a lawful manner and investigates any allegations of abuse.
The six who were released included Rima Hassan, a French member of the European parliament whom Israel had previously barred from entering Israel and the Palestinian territories, citing her support for boycotts of the country.
The last two activists were expected to be deported on Friday, according to Adalah.
But airports were closed in Israel on Friday after a strike on Iran, meaning the remaining crew of the Madleen were forced to remain in prison. The Freedom Flotilla posted to X, saying all members were supposed to be released and fly back home on June 13 but now "may face an extra month, illegally detained in Israeli prison."
Adalah said it is looking into options, which could include release on bail or house arrest, but its lawyers have not yet been allowed to meet with their clients.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from The Associated Press and Reuters