Tánaiste Simon Harris reiterated Ireland's call for an end to the Israeli blockade on Gaza after the Madleen ship - which was carrying humanitarian aid - was intercepted by Israeli forces earlier today, Monday, June 9.

"The Madleen was an effort to get food and medicine to the starving people of Gaza; an unarmed civilian effort in the midst of devastation and catastrophic humanitarian conditions," the Tánaiste said in a statement on Monday.

"But it was much more than that; it was a powerful symbol of the urgent and essential need to end the blockade on humanitarian aid.

"What the flotilla has highlighted is the urgent need for humanitarian aid to get into Gaza. What has happened is another effort by the Israeli authorities to stop the entry of aid. It should not fall to any small group of civilians to get aid into Gaza.

"Ireland has consistently called on Israel to lift its blockade and allow unimpeded access of humanitarian aid at scale into Gaza, in accordance with international law and humanitarian principles.

"The UN and humanitarian organisations must be allowed to work independently and do their job. It is a shame on the world and international community that people are starving in Gaza.

"The question we should be asking today is not a debate about the merits or not of the flotilla but how it has come to this; that the world is turning a blind eye to starving children in Gaza."

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which was established in 2010 with the aim of ending the Israeli blockade on Gaza, launched the Madleen, a civilian ship carrying humanitarian aid and 12 international human rights defenders, from Italy on June 1.

Among the aid being carried by the Madleen was "urgently needed supplies for the people of Gaza, including baby formula, flour, rice, diapers, women’s sanitary products, water desalination kits, medical supplies, crutches, and children’s prosthetics."

On Saturday, Israel’s Minister of Defense Israel Katz said on social media that he had instructed the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) to prevent the Madleen from reaching the shores of Gaza, and the use whatever measures necessary.

He accused the ship's crew - which included Swedish activist Greta Thunberg - of being anti-semitic and Hamas supporters.

Responding, Ireland's Tánaiste said that any use of force against the Madleen "would constitute a breach of international law."

"The international community must be clear on this," he added.

Any use of force against it would constitute a breach of international law.

The international community must be clear on this.

— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) June 8, 2025

On Monday morning, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said that the Madleen had been "attacked / forcibly intercepted by the Israeli military at 3:02 am CET in international waters" off the coast of the Gaza Strip.

The coalition said: "Drones dropped unidentified chemicals on the Madleen. Immediately after, our peaceful volunteers were rammed and intercepted before Israeli forces boarded the vessel. We lost all contact with them seconds later."

The coalition said the Madleen was "unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo—including baby formula, food and medical supplies—confiscated."

Later on Monday, the coalition said on social media that the whereabouts of the ship's crew remain unknown. 

Meanwhile, Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that the Madleen - which it described as a "selfie yacht" with "celebrities" on board - was making its way toward Israel, with the passengers "expected to return to their home countries."

All the passengers of the ‘selfie yacht’ are safe and unharmed. They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over. pic.twitter.com/tLZZYcspJO

— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) June 9, 2025

In a subsequent update, the Ministry said the Madleen was continuing its journey toward an Israeli port and that "upon arrival, arrangements will be made for their return to their respective home countries."

Related: Irish Politics