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Climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and actor Liam Cunningham have joined a crew of international human rights activists aiming to challenge Israel’s illegal blockade of Gaza.

They are aboard the aid ship Madleen, which sailed from Catania, Sicily, on Sunday – on a voyage to the besieged Gaza Strip.

The mission has been organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, in a bid to relieve Gaza from the Israeli clampdown which has plunged the enclave into what the World Health Organization describes as “full-blown famine conditions.”

This is not the first time the Freedom Flotilla has made headlines.

On May 2, a sister ship named Conscience was struck by drones in international waters off Malta.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition claims the attack, which set the ship ablaze and punctured its hull, was carried out by Israeli forces—allegedly using drones launched from a military aircraft loitering in Maltese airspace.

No injuries were reported, but the vessel was disabled, and Malta has since been accused of delaying assistance and obstructing a United Nations investigation.

Despite these risks, Thunberg and Cunningham have not shied away from what they call a moral imperative.

“The world cannot stand by,” said Cunningham, who may be best known for his role in hit TV drama Game of Thrones. “I don’t want to be one of those people who told their grandchildren, ‘I didn’t do anything.’”

The Madleen is carrying humanitarian aid intended for Gaza’s starving population.

According to UN agencies, more than a million children in the Strip are facing severe food insecurity, and more than 300,000 are at risk of death by starvation.

This crisis is compounded by relentless Israeli bombardment and forced displacement that has pushed Gazans into overcrowded “safe zones” in the south, which human rights groups liken to open-air prisons or worse.

Thunberg, known globally for climate activism, has increasingly turned her attention to human rights.

In a video filmed with fellow crew member Tania Safi, she described the mission as part of a broader struggle against systemic violence: “This is not charity. This is direct action.”

Safi echoed the urgency: “We are parents, grandparents, siblings, kids; stubborn, passionate humans united by a revolutionary imagination that allows us to believe in a world without Zionist violence.”

The Coalition insists this voyage is peaceful and rooted in international law.

Yet history suggests the risks are very real.

In 2010, Israeli forces stormed the Mavi Marmara, another aid flotilla vessel, in international waters, killing 10 activists and wounding dozens more.

No significant accountability followed, and critics fear that this impunity has only emboldened further aggression.

Observers worry that the presence of prominent figures like Thunberg and Cunningham may not be enough to prevent another violent incident.

But the Coalition hopes that the added visibility will deter an attack and force international governments to act.

“The Madleen is more than a boat,” said activist and actress Nicole Jenes.

“It’s a line in the sand. Governments must speak out. If anything happens to this crew, it is not a confrontation—it’s a war crime.”

Despite mounting evidence of humanitarian catastrophe, the UK government remains notably silent.

There has been no condemnation of the May drone strike, no assurance of maritime protection for British nationals aboard the Madleen, and no public recognition of Israel’s violations of international law in enforcing the Gaza blockade.

The Freedom Flotilla has issued a call for constituents to demand accountability from their MPs: to insist that the UK defend human rights, uphold maritime law, and speak out against what the International Court of Justice has called a “plausible case of genocide.”

Follow the Madleen’s progress via the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s Madleen Tracker or on social media using #GazaFlotilla. Write to your MP. Speak out. The world is watching — or at least, it should be.

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