Beyond the blockade, beyond complicity: social justice for Gaza

The Madleen of the Freedom Flotilla set sail from the port of Catania on 1 June 2025.

A bordo, dodici volontarə della società civile internazionale e diversi carichi di aiuti umanitari: medicinali, alimenti, beni essenziali, destinati alla popolazione palestinese assediata di Gaza. Il suo nome è un omaggio a Madleen, la prima e unica pescatrice donna di Gaza nel 2014, divenuta simbolo di autodeterminazione in un contesto in cui anche gettare le reti in mare può significare sfidare la morte.

On board were twelve international civil society volunteers and several loads of humanitarian
aid: medicine, food, essential goods, all destined for the besieged Palestinian population in
Gaza. Its name is a tribute to Madleen, the first and only female fisher in Gaza in 2014, who
became a symbol of self-determination in a context where even casting a net into the sea
can mean defying death.

Last night, 9 June, the Madleen was intercepted in international waters by the Israeli
military. Drones and quadcopters surrounded the vessel, sprayed it with chemical
substances that caused burning and irritation, jammed radio communications and finally
boarded it. The twelve people on board — all civilians — were forcibly taken. Their
whereabouts and conditions remain unknown.

The attack on the Madleen is not an accident. It is a deliberate affront to international law, a
violation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and a direct assault on
anyone who still believes that solidarity cannot be a crime. It is yet another episode in a
systematic strategy aimed at silencing all dissenting voices, criminalising civil intervention,
and repressing any attempt to affirm that all lives have equal value.

Our duty today is not only to be outraged — it is to name things for what they are:
The blockade of Gaza is illegal.
The attack on a civilian ship in international waters is an act of state piracy and a war crime.
The deliberate deprivation of food, water, electricity, and medical care is part of a genocidal
plan already recognised as such by legal scholars, international NGOs, and official rulings
such as that of the International Court of Justice in the case brought by South Africa.

As Giovani Senza Frontiere Italia, we do not accept that humanitarian law is ignored, that
the Palestinian people are condemned to silence and starvation, or that international civil
society is persecuted for taking a stand. Our commitment as a Euro-Mediterranean youth
organisation is grounded in social justice, the dignity of peoples, and the active refusal of
complicity.
For this reason, we call for:

1. The immediate and unconditional release of the individuals forcibly taken from the Madleen, with full consular, legal, and media guarantees from their home governments, from the United Kingdom — under whose flag the Freedom Flotilla sails — and from the European Union;

2. The end of the Gaza blockade and the establishment of stable humanitarian corridors under international guarantee, allowing aid to reach civilians and humanitarian organisations to operate without being criminalised;

3. The political and legal recognition of the ongoing genocide in Gaza, with full support for international investigations and the immediate suspension of all military, technological, and economic cooperation with the State of Israel until violations cease

This is not just about Gaza. It is about what we are willing to tolerate in the name of diplomatic convenience. It is about what remains of human dignity when hunger becomes a weapon and solidarity becomes a crime. It is about the coherence of our democracies, the real meaning of human rights, and the value we grant — or deny — to people’s lives depending on their origin, faith, or geography.

Every ship like the Madleen, every abducted body, every silenced voice questions us. And
forces us to choose a side. Not in the abstraction of geopolitical discourse, but in the tangible space of our civil, moral, and political responsibilities. We have made our choice. We stand — and will always stand — alongside those who resist, those who break the siege, those who refuse silence.

Because without justice for Gaza, there will be no justice for anyone.
And without memory of today, there will be no peace tomorrow.