Attacking a civilian humanitarian mission in international waters is a blatant violation of international law, including principles protecting freedom of navigation and the delivery of humanitarian aid during armed conflict. This illegal act is part of Israel’s ongoing genocidal policy of collective punishment and siege against the Palestinian people.
In fact, this is not the first such incident. In 2010, Israel attacked the ship Mavi Marmara, killing ten aid workers. Earlier this May, another ship, Handala, also part of the same flotilla, was attacked by an explosive drone near Malta in international waters.
Hunger Strike by Madleen Volunteers
Following their detention, some volunteers aboard Madleen began a hunger strike in protest against the conditions of their detention. They demanded immediate access to legal representation, medical care, and assurances that they would not be forcibly deported.
All twelve volunteers aboard Madleen have since been released and deported. Greta Thunberg was flown to Sweden via France; others followed after legal processing. They have pledged to continue advocating for breaking the siege.
Tunisian Humanitarian Convoy Faces Blockade
In a parallel effort, a land convoy called Soumoud (Steadfastness) set out from Tunisia on June 9, 2025. Organised by civil society groups from the Maghreb region, the convoy included over 1,000 participants, including doctors, lawyers, youth activists, journalists, and a foreign medical team and activists, determined to deliver food, medical equipment, and fuel into Gaza.
The convoy crossed into Libya on June 11 but was stopped near Sirte by forces aligned with Khalifa Haftar, a US- and Western-backed military ruler. As part of efforts to block the Soumoud convoy, Egyptian authorities also not only closed the Rafah border crossing but also detained and deported several international participants. Among those expelled were European medical volunteers, journalists, and human rights activists who had planned to cross into Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid and document conditions on the ground. After days of negotiations and some participants being detained in Misrata, the convoy was forced to return on June 16.
Although it did not reach Gaza, Soumoud has sent a clear message that international solidarity remains unshaken. The convoy’s organisers have vowed to continue until aid can reach Gaza unimpeded.
Aid Site Massacres Under US Israeli Backed Platform
Amid Israel-US axis’s attempt to supress international attempts to deliver aid to Gaza, more than 500 Palestinians have been killed during ‘aid distribution’ since the US Israeli backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) assumed control of food operations in the besieged strip. With international aid stuck at Gaza borders, the Israel had been using GHF to push starving population to “aid sites” and then kill them.
On June 16 Israeli troops opened fire at a food queue near Rafah, killing 34 and wounding around 200 as tanks and gunfire targeted civilians waiting for aid. That same day a shooting near Khan Yunis killed 59 and wounded 221 as tanks and troops fired on displaced families forming long queues. Earlier in June at least 27 were killed and 184 wounded in a morning shooting near a distribution centre in Rafah. The International Committee of the Red Cross reported that its field hospital received a mass casualty influx and warned that civilians were shot while trying to reach GHF centre.
”People fought over five pallets. They told us to take food, then they fired from every direction,” said Mansour Sami Abdi, a father of four while describing to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) team about the attack on June 1 near Rafah GHF site. ”I ran 200 metres before realising I’d been shot. This isn’t aid. It’s a lie. Are we supposed to go get food for our kids and die?”
International humanitarian groups like ICRC, MSF and other prominent organisations have condemned and have refused to participate in or endorse the GHF system, with the Red Cross, ICRC and others condemning it as dehumanising, unsafe and ineffective.
These deliberate attacks on international aid, food queues, flour trucks, shelters, and aid workers are not random tragedies. They are part of a systematic and nefarious strategy by the Netanyahu-Trump axis to weaponise hunger and turn starvation into a tool of war. The aim is not merely to deny Palestinians access to food and medical supplies, but to turn the act of survival itself into a death trap.
India’s Troubling Silence Amid Gaza Crisis
Amid the ongoing genocide and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, what is equally alarming is the silence from India. On June 14, 2025, India abstained from voting on a United Nations General Assembly resolution that called for an immediate ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza. The resolution, which was overwhelmingly adopted by 149 countries, was a clear appeal to halt the bloodshed and address the deepening crisis.
India stood out not only as the sole country in South Asia to abstain, but also as the only member of both the BRICS bloc and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to do so. This marked India’s fourth abstention on Gaza-related ceasefire and humanitarian aid resolutions in recent years.
