From the Liveblog of
Thursday, June 12, 2025
Six more Gaza flotilla activists set to be deported from Israel
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
Six additional activists from the Madleen boat that sought to break Israel’s naval blockade on Gaza earlier this week are transferred to Ben Gurion Airport to be deported from Israel.
Both the Foreign Ministry and the Adalah civil rights organization confirm that six more of the passengers are set to be deported today and early tomorrow, three days after their boat was intercepted by the IDF and towed to Ashdod.
They are Mark van Rennes from the Netherlands, Suayb Ordu from Turkey, Yasemin Acar from Germany, Thiago Avila from Brazil, Reva Viard from France and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament for the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party who is of Palestinian descent.
“Six more passengers from the ‘selfie yacht,’ including Rima Hassan, are on their way out of Israel,” the Foreign Ministry writes on X alongside photos of them in the airport and aboard planes. “Bye-bye—and don’t forget to take a selfie before you leave.”
The two remaining activists, Pascal Maurieras and Yanis Mhamdi, both of whom are also French, are scheduled to be deported tomorrow and will remain in custody at Givon Prison in Ramle until then.
Four activists from the Madleen waived their right to be brought before a judge and were therefore deported immediately on Tuesday, including famed Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.
The Times of Israel Community.