A French doctor who was aboard the humanitarian aid boat the Madleen, heading to Gaza, has accused Israeli authorities of mistreating passengers, including climate activist Greta Thunberg.
Dr. Baptiste André, one of the passengers, returned to France on Tuesday and spoke to reporters.
He said the Israeli authorities did not use physical violence, but acted in ways that were abusive.
Highlights
- A French doctor accused Israeli authorities of abusive treatment and sleep deprivation against Greta Thunberg and other Madleen passengers.
- Passengers reported difficulties accessing food and water, sleep deprivation, and mistreatment, especially when surveillance cameras were off.
- Thunberg and three others signed deportation papers and returned home; eight others remain in Israeli custody awaiting court hearings.
A French doctor accused Israeli authorities of mistreating passengers aboard the Madleen
Image credits: Fabrizio Villa/Getty Images
According to André, they mocked the passengers and did not allow them to sleep properly, particularly Thunberg.
As soon as someone fell asleep, agents would turn up the music and dance, he said.
He also claimed that passengers had a hard time getting food and water while in custody.
“I don’t have the legal qualifications to specify what happened, but there were acts of mistreatment,” André said.
The Madleen was part of a mission organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. It left Italy on June 1, 2025, with 12 people onboard, including climate activist Thunberg.
Image credits: Fabrizio Villa/Getty Images
The goal of the trip was to bring humanitarian supplies to civilians in Gaza.
However, Israeli naval forces intercepted the boat in international waters, close to Gaza, and took the passengers into custody.
Thunberg, 22, was one of four passengers who signed deportation papers and returned home Tuesday evening.
The other eight, including French Member of the European Parliament, Rima Hassan, are still being held in Israel and are waiting for a court hearing.
Before she left Israel, Thunberg recorded a video in which she said that if viewers were watching it, that meant the group had been “intercepted and kidnapped” by Israeli forces.
After their arrest, they were held for nearly 12 hours aboard the boat. Omar Faiad, a correspondent for Al Jazeera Mubasher who was also on the boat, said, “All they did was try to give us food and water on the condition that they take a picture of us while they were doing that.”
Image credits: IsraelMFA
Faiad told RSF that “things got worse when the cameras were off.”
He recalled a moment when an Israeli soldier took away his asthma inhaler, and returned it to him in front of an Israeli army camera.
He further said Hassan was threatened by a soldier when she refused to sign a paper, who said: “I’ll smash your head against the wall if you don’t sign. We’ll handle this our own way.”
An Al Jazeera journalist claimed things got worse off-camera with the Israeli soldiers
Blast reported that the papers included “an agreement to be deported, an acknowledgement of the illegality of the Madleen’s humanitarian mission, and a commitment never to set foot on Israeli soil again.”
In an X post published on June 9, Israeli authorities threatened detainees who refused to “sign deportation papers” with being “brought before a judicial authority.”
Thunberg told reporters in Paris, “This is yet another intentional violation of rights that is added to the list of countless other violations that Israel is committing by blocking and preventing humanitarian aid from entering Gaza.”
She said their voyage was peaceful and meant to protest Israel’s blockade of Gaza, and raise awareness about the worsening humanitarian crisis there.
The Israeli government has defended its actions.
Officials said the mission broke Israel’s naval blockade, which they argue is necessary for national security.
“The Gaza maritime zone remains an active conflict area, and Hamas has previously exploited sea routes for terrorist attacks, including the October 7th massacre,” the Israel Foreign Ministry wrote on X.
Officials dismissed the trip as a publicity stunt and called the boat a “selfie yacht.”
Image credits: Freedom Flotilla Coalition
So far, the Swedish government has not made official statements about accusations of mistreatment.
Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard said Monday that Thunberg was not in need of support from the ministry.
“A great responsibility rests on those who choose to travel contrary to the advice given to a place,” she said.