Anadolu staff
12 June 2025•Update: 12 June 2025
BERLIN
Two activists detained by Israel after attempting to break the Gaza blockade returned to Berlin on Thursday, strongly criticizing Israeli military actions and pledging to continue their humanitarian mission.
Turkish citizen Suayb Ordu and German citizen Yasemin Acar arrived at Berlin-Brandenburg Airport (BER) where they were greeted by a crowd of Palestine supporters. Amid emotional scenes and chants supporting Palestine, supporters presented flowers to both activists.
Speaking to reporters, Ordu said their experience of risking their lives on board the Gaza-bound boat Madleen was minor compared to the immense suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
"The lives of Gazans are as valuable as all of our lives," he said, emphasizing their commitment to continue the humanitarian campaign. "Everyone should follow the 'March to Gaza.' There must be no barriers. The blockade needs to end—both by land and sea. People continue to die from bombardment. Our sole purpose is to stop this war, to stop this genocide."
His wife Sumeyra, fighting back tears during the reunion, affirmed their commitment: "We won't give up until the Gaza blockade is broken."
German citizen Acar condemned Israeli authorities for illegally seizing the Madleen boat in international waters and forcibly detaining the peaceful activists for several days.
“They kidnapped us, against our will, brought us and jailed us for almost four days,” Acar said. “They are breaching international law while occupying Gaza. And the international community needs to stop its complicity. They need to stop sending weapons. They need to send aid instead of weapons,” she said.
The British-flagged vessel Madleen departed Sicily, Italy on June 6 bound for Gaza, attempting to break Israel's naval blockade of the enclave. The territory has seen over 55,000 deaths from Israeli military operations since October 2023, while 2 million Palestinians risk famine due to restrictions on humanitarian aid.
Israeli forces seized the Madleen in international waters early Monday and detained its 12-strong crew.
Besides Ordu and Acar, activists aboard the Madleen were Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, Rima Hassan, Baptiste Andre, Pascal Maurieras, Yanis Mhamdi and Reva Viard from France, Thiago Avila from Brazil, Sergio Toribio from Spain, Marco van Rennes from the Netherlands and Omar Faiad, a journalist with Al Jazeera Mubasher, also from France.
