SCHIPHOL AIRPORT, NETHERLANDS - JUNE 18, 2025: The Dutch captain of the Madleen vessel, Marco van Rennes, returned to the Netherlands on Wednesday, June 18, after being illegally detained by Israeli authorities during a humanitarian mission to Gaza. The Madleen, which was transporting food and medical supplies to the besieged Gaza Strip, was intercepted while en route. Van Rennes was subsequently taken into custody but later released. Following his release, Van Rennes experienced delays in departing from Israel as the country’s airspace remained temporarily closed due to recent Israeli strikes on Iran. The Madleen’s mission was part of ongoing international efforts to deliver much-needed humanitarian aid to Gaza amid Israel's continuing blockade and military operations. 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 and detained its 12-strong crew. Activists aboard the Madleen were Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, Rima Hassan, Baptiste Andre, Pascal Maurieras, Yanis Mhamdi and Reva Viard from France, Suayb Ordu from Türkiye, Yasemin Acar from Germany, 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. Reporting by Mouneb Taim // Writing by Mustafa Tuncer