The Hind Rajab Foundation has filed a war crimes complaint with the UK’s Metropolitan Police War Crimes Unit over Israel’s raid on the Madleen, a British-flagged humanitarian vessel intercepted in international waters on 8–9 June 2025.

The complaint targets Shayetet 13, the Israeli naval commando unit that carried out the raid, and Vice Admiral David Saar Salama, commander of the Israeli Navy.

The Madleen was part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and was carrying medical supplies, food, and baby formula to civilians in Gaza when it was intercepted over 60 nautical miles off the coast—well beyond Israeli jurisdiction.

The complaint, filed under the Geneva Conventions Act 1957, the International Criminal Court Act 2001, and Section 134 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988, accuses Israeli forces of war crimes, including the unlawful use of chemical irritants, incommunicado detention of 12 unarmed civilians, denial of legal and consular access, confiscation of aid and personal property, and degrading treatment.

Among those detained were Greta Thunberg and MEP Rima Hassan, who, according to eyewitnesses, were physically assaulted and exposed to choking substances sprayed from drones.

The Foundation drew parallels to Israel’s 2010 raid on the Mavi Marmara, citing similar legal violations, and stressed that the Madleen, as a UK-flagged vessel, is considered British territory under international law. It also highlighted Israel’s breach of binding ICJ orders requiring unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza.

The Foundation urged the UK government to open a criminal investigation, collect passenger testimonies, and pursue legal accountability, including potential arrest warrants, while coordinating with the ICC and Interpol.