Israel may still have the Madleen aid boat. But organizers are already planning their next journey to Gaza

The Madleen, a boat seized by Israeli forces while en route to Gaza, might still be stuck in a port off the coast of Israel. But the activists who piloted it are busy planning their next attempt — albeit with a different boat.

Named after a famous fisherwoman in Gaza, the Madleen set sail from Italy, aiming to deliver a symbolic amount of aid and draw attention to the plight of the enclave, which has been devastated by 20 months of war. It was the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC)’s 36th such expedition since 2008. 

But while the group waits to hear from officials on the boat’s status, Zohar Chamberlain Regev, an FFC member, is in Sicily, fixing up a different boat for another expedition to Gaza. 

The group had attempted to sail this vessel, called the Handala, from Norway to Gaza in 2024. That trip ended early in Malta, as they felt the boat was too old to make the journey. But they’ll soon attempt it again, from Sicily.

“Our … main goal is to send a message of solidarity and encouragement to the Palestinian resistance, to the millions of people under occupation,” Regev told CBC News.

Little success in sailing to Gaza

Over the years, many of the FFC’s boats have been seized by Israeli forces. Getting them back involves time in court — and even then it isn’t guaranteed. 

The Madleen is the third boat for which Regev will have to appear in court. The Frankfurt-based Israeli citizen, who is its registered owner, says she hasn’t yet heard anything from authorities.

“But whenever they do [reach out],” she says, “I’ll tell them that this boat was on its way to Gaza; they had no business taking it.”

The group’s first five expeditions, which were all in 2008, were the only ones to successfully make it to Gaza and sail back out. From 2009 onwards, Regev says no boat has been able to reach the enclave’s shores. 

“Some boats were rammed at sea and then rescued; some boats were returned by the occupation to their owners.”

She says the group has reused the boats that have been returned, or sold them to fund future activities. 

Status of aid unclear

The aid on board typically doesn’t make it into Gaza, either, the FFC says. Regev says she has no information on the supplies aboard the Madleen. 

Israeli authorities did not respond to CBC’s requests for comment on the aid. But they previously told Reuters that it would be sent to Gaza through what they called “real humanitarian channels.”

Despite the many unsuccessful attempts, Regev says she is steadfast in the pursuit of the coalition’s goals. 

“We do this because we appreciate the freedom that we have to actually do things,” she said. “It’s much more terrifying to me to think that there’s a genocide going on, committed by my own people, and I sit here safely and do nothing.” (Israel has consistently denied it is committing genocide in Gaza.)

She didn’t elaborate on the group’s strategy for their upcoming trip. But she said the coalition will continue to try sailing its boats to Gaza until the Israeli blockade on the strip is lifted.

One cause, different realities

For 31-year-old Madleen Kolab, the ocean has been her life since she was a little girl learning how to fish from her father. After he fell ill when she was 13, she assumed his position. She says she is the first and only fisherwoman in Gaza.

“I was honoured that they wanted to use my name for the boat,” she told CBC freelance videographer Mohamed El Saife, as they walked along the shore of a beach in Gaza City. 

The mother of four is pregnant with her fifth child, and says she can barely find food to feed her kids. The war has made it too dangerous for her to fish, she says, and she has trouble paying for essentials, as the cost of food in Gaza has skyrocketed. 

She had closely watched her namesake boat’s journey, and had anticipated its arrival, along with its promised aid. 

“We were very sad when we heard the boat was intercepted,” she said. “If the boat arrived, it meant life to us.”

Kolab sat on the sand as the tide washed in. Across the Mediterranean in Sicily, Regev was preparing her group’s 37th flotilla to set sail. Though the two women are tied together by one cause, they live in strikingly different realities.

“I hope that when it sails, the war will be over, the siege is broken,” said Kolab, “and we can see it.”