The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned Israel’s top diplomat in Madrid following the seizure of the humanitarian aid ship Madleen by Israeli forces in international waters, according to local media.

The vessel, which carried emergency supplies destined for Gaza, was intercepted en route and rerouted to the Israeli port of Ashdod. Onboard were 12 civilians, including Spanish citizen Sergio Toribio, prominent climate activist Greta Thunberg, and other international human rights defenders.

The Spanish government expressed deep concern over what it described as a “serious violation of international law.” Foreign Ministry sources confirmed that diplomatic channels have been activated to ensure consular protection for Toribio, with ongoing contact maintained between Madrid, his family, and Israeli authorities.

The Madleen, a British-flagged vessel, departed from Sicily earlier this month carrying a symbolic shipment of food, baby formula, and medical supplies. It was part of a mission coordinated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), an international civil society campaign aiming to challenge Israel’s maritime blockade on Gaza.

Activists on board issued pre-recorded video statements in anticipation of interception. In one such video released by the FFC, Toribio held up his Spanish passport, stating: “If you are seeing this, I have been intercepted and abducted by Israeli forces or a state complicit in Israel’s crimes against Palestinians.” He called on the Spanish public and government to press for his immediate release.

The FFC has denounced Israel’s actions as a “forcible interception of a civilian mission in international waters.”

Huwaida Arraf, one of the flotilla’s organizers, condemned the detainment of the volunteers, describing it as “arbitrary and unlawful.”

According to the coalition, the Madleen was a nonviolent civilian mission and did not pose any threat to Israel.

Among the detainees are activists from France, Germany, Sweden, Brazil, Turkey, and the Netherlands, including Rima Hassan, a French-Palestinian Member of the European Parliament.