{"id":98312,"date":"2025-06-09T10:48:23","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T08:48:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/?p=98312"},"modified":"2025-06-09T10:48:23","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T08:48:23","slug":"98312-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/98312-2\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za<\/a> <\/em>
\n3-minute read
\n09 January 2025 | 10:36 CAT<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u201cIsrael’s siege continues: Activists kidnapped in international waters as Gaza faces intensified assaults, foreign-backed militias, and deepening humanitarian crisis.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

After a brief and fragile ceasefire, Israel has resumed its military aggression on the besieged Gaza Strip, with relentless attacks unfolding since 18 March. According to reports, over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed<\/strong> since the resumption, in what rights groups and observers have widely condemned as a continued genocide.<\/p>\n

Among the deadliest strikes, an Israeli air assault on Gaza\u2019s Shuja\u2019iya neighbourhood at dawn this past Friday resulted in 20 civilian deaths<\/strong>. Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have further intensified operations in Gaza\u2019s Old City, with sweeping evacuation orders forcing residents to flee without their belongings<\/strong>. The evacuation order reportedly read: \u201cA severe and urgent warning\u2026\u201d<\/em>, part of a broader campaign of displacement and destruction across the enclave.<\/p>\n

Freedom Flotilla Under Attack: The Story of the \u2018Madeline\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Moulana Ebrahim Moosa joined Radio Islam International<\/a> <\/em>with the latest Palestine Report, providing critical insights into the Israeli Navy\u2019s violent interception of the Freedom Flotilla, <\/strong>specifically, a ship named Madeline<\/em>, after a female fisherman in Gaza who remains among the displaced.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was not merely about aid,\u201d Moosa said, \u201cit was about breaking the siege<\/strong> and creating symbolic international pressure<\/strong>.\u201d The Madeline<\/em> carried 12 international activists<\/strong> and a small quantity of humanitarian aid, more a statement of solidarity than a relief effort.<\/p>\n

According to Moosa, \u201cIsraeli War Minister Israel Katz ordered the military to stop the flotilla \u2018by any means necessary’ a direct threat that was followed through in international waters, a serious violation of international law.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

As Israeli military speedboats encircled the vessel, signals were jammed<\/strong>, and quadcopter drones flew overhead<\/strong>, signalling an imminent and hostile takeover. Activists onboard, who had prepared for such a scenario, were instructed to don life jackets and ready passports. Then came a white irritant substance<\/strong>, disturbing sounds over hacked radio frequencies<\/strong>, and finally, the kidnapping of the entire crew<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis happened in international waters<\/strong>, which is a crime of the first order,\u201d Moosa emphasised.<\/p>\n

Captured video and audio recordings of the encounter stand as testimony to the illegal nature of the operation.<\/p>\n

Kidnapped Activists and Propaganda Warfare<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reports now confirm that the kidnapped activists are being held at a naval base near Ashdod<\/strong>, in the 1948-occupied territories. The Israeli authorities, Moosa says, are preparing to coerce the activists into watching propaganda videos<\/strong> portraying alleged Hamas atrocities.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Israeli media and officials are attempting to discredit the activists<\/strong>, calling the flotilla a \u201ccelebrity mission\u201d with \u201cnegligible aid\u201d. But global voices are rising in support.<\/p>\n

Francesca Albanese<\/strong>, UN Special Rapporteur, has demanded their immediate release and called for a unified maritime response<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery Mediterranean port should send boats with aid, solidarity, and humanity to Gaza. They shall sail together\u2014united\u2014and if they do, they will be unstoppable.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

This momentum is catalysing larger mobilisations, including:<\/p>\n