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FLOTILLA MEMBER RIMA HASSAN: ISRAEL IS BREAKING THE LAW, NOT US  
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Interview by Hanno Hauenstein
June 9, 2025
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_ This morning, Israeli authorities captured the aid boat Madleen,
halting its mission to Gaza. Just hours before it was intercepted we
spoke to Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who
was aboard the vessel. _

Flotilla member Rima Hassan, French member of the European
Parliament, (REUTERS/Abdul Saboor)

 

Early this morning, activists aboard the Madleen announced that their
aid boat had been intercepted by Israeli forces and the passengers
“kidnapped.” While the British-flagged vessel, operated by the
Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FCC), seeks to draw attention to Gazans’
suffering, Israeli authorities have repeatedly sought to delegitimize
the activists’ intentions and referred to the boat as a “selfie
yacht” carrying “celebrities.”

They now claim that the passengers will be sent back to their home
countries, but not before, as hard-line defense minister Israel Katz
announced, forcing them to watch footage of the October 7 attacks. For
now, attempts to contact the passengers have proven futile.

The Madleen set sail from Italy on June 1 with a clear mission: to
break Israel’s blockade and deliver aid to starving civilians in
Gaza. On board were twelve activists from across Europe who chose
direct action in order to draw more attention to the unfolding
humanitarian catastrophe in Palestine, which their governments have
failed to address in any meaningful way. One of those passengers is
French Palestinian member of European Parliament Rima Hassan, elected
in June 2024 as a representative of the left-wing movement La France
Insoumise.

Just hours before the Israelis intercepted the Madleen and arrested
Hassan, she spoke with journalist Hanno Hauenstein about her
motivations for joining the mission, the political backlash in France,
and how she deals with the personal risks her Palestine advocacy
entails.

Hanno Hauenstein

You’ve been outspoken about Palestine. What motivated you to board
this ship?

Rima Hassan

It’s been a year since I was elected to the European Parliament, and
I’ve been very engaged on the Palestinian question. But we see that
things aren’t moving fast enough. It’s been more than fourteen
months since United Nations actors denounced the genocide in Gaza, and
we still haven’t seen sanctions or similar measures to stop it. For
me, joining this action is about coherence with what I stand for.
Also, this action is very powerful. It mobilizes lots of citizens and
carries very strong symbolism.

Hanno Hauenstein

A previous aid boat was bombed in May. Others have been killed trying
to break the Gaza blockade. How do you deal with this risk to your
life?

Rima Hassan

We are all very aware of the risks. Our main concern is precisely that
kind of attack we saw on May 2 in Malta. The last ship was larger, and
thankfully no one was killed or injured. Our boat is much smaller. A
single drone strike could make the boat sink. But we’re prepared. We
had several days of training before departure, and we continue to
train daily on board. There were several nights when drones were
nearby, so we enacted a full-on emergency protocol: putting on life
jackets, preparing to jump into the sea.

Hanno Hauenstein

Was it a conscious decision to make this mission so public?

Rima Hassan

The last crew chose discretion, hoping it would help them. But they
were attacked anyway. So, we did the opposite: we informed the media,
we tried to mobilize public opinion, and maintained visibility to
pressure Israel not to attack us.

Hanno Hauenstein

Your ship rescued migrants at sea. What exactly happened?

Rima Hassan

It was a very intense moment. We received a distress call relayed by
Frontex, telling us our ship was the closest one to a migrant boat in
need. So, we changed course and sailed for two hours toward Libya.
Under maritime law, it’s an obligation to rescue people at sea in
distress.

When we arrived, we found the migrants on a boat whose engine hadn’t
worked for two days. When the coast guards arrived to take the
migrants back, four people jumped into the sea. We couldn’t let them
drown. They stayed a few hours with us on board. They were fed and
examined by a doctor from our team. Eventually, Frontex picked them up
and brought them to Greece.

Hanno Hauenstein

Critics say your mission is purely symbolic and won’t deliver any
real aid into Gaza. How do you respond to this?

Rima Hassan

We’re aware, as are our critics, that our contribution is symbolic
in relation to the immense humanitarian needs. The UN said that around
500 aid trucks per day are necessary for Gaza. We obviously don’t
have 500 trucks on board. We have a small load.

Hanno Hauenstein

What are the things you are carrying on the boat?

Rima Hassan

Over 250 kilograms of rice, 100 kilos of flour, 600 units of infant
milk, hygiene products for women, medicine, crutches. We do what we
can. The mission is deeply political. The goal is to make Gaza
accessible for aid. Especially now, as famine is being orchestrated by
the Israeli regime, we see it as our responsibility to act. It’s not
a journey for fun or adventure. We do this to fill a political vacuum
left by the inaction of states. We’re denouncing the complicity of
those states.

Hanno Hauenstein

What’s the atmosphere like on board day to day?

Rima Hassan

We want to humanize this mission. We try to stay in good spirits
— we cook together, clean together, maintain the ship. It helps us
stay focused. We want people following our journey to see who we are
and how we live on this ship. We’re also constantly monitoring the
news, especially from Israeli and international authorities. Ten UN
special rapporteurs recently called on states to assist us in reaching
Gaza, citing international law. We’re not the ones violating the
law.

Hanno Hauenstein

Israel has accused the mission of supporting terrorism. How do you
respond to that?

Rima Hassan

Israel isn’t a reliable interlocutor. For more than a year and a
half — and before — Israeli representatives have labeled anyone
who criticizes its policies as a terrorist or an antisemite. They
accused the UN of antisemitism. They accused the Pope of antisemitism.
Even Emmanuel Macron. It’s a war of propaganda.

The accusations against us are part of a broader disinformation
campaign. Our response is to speak the language of international law.
International law says the blockade is illegal, that ethnic cleansing
and genocide are taking place, and that we have a right to deliver
humanitarian aid.

Hanno Hauenstein

How do you assess the role of European countries like France and
Germany?

Rima Hassan

European states are complicit — or at best passive. This isn’t
something new. We can trace it back to the Sykes-Picot Agreement and
the colonial partitioning of the region. Under the British Mandate,
some of my own family members were imprisoned and killed. Macron may
speak of recognizing Palestine, but France continues military
cooperation with Israel. Netanyahu was even allowed to fly over French
airspace, despite the active International Criminal Court arrest
warrant.

Hanno Hauenstein

Do you see a double standard in how international law is applied?

Rima Hassan

Of course. There shouldn’t be any immunity for the crimes Netanyahu
is wanted for — just like there isn’t any immunity for Putin. I
want to stress: this complicity isn’t one that is enacted in the
name of the people. Polls show that three out of four French people
support sanctions against Israel. In Germany, a recent poll has shown
that 80 percent of German citizens oppose the Gaza offensive.
There’s a clear disconnect between governments’ actions and public
opinion.

Hanno Hauenstein

Have you personally faced political pressure or threats for joining
this mission?

Rima Hassan

We did consult the French Foreign Ministry, and they said they don’t
advise us to go — because of the risks. Of course, in some media
outlets, there has been condescension. They portray us as naive or
hateful activists. Fortunately, others have treated this as a serious
political act. What we are doing is putting pressure on
decision-makers to intervene. Because Israel has warned that they’ll
arrest us once we approach the territorial waters of Palestine, which
are illegally controlled by Israel.

Hanno Hauenstein

What moment has stayed with you the most so far?

Rima Hassan

The hardest and most emotional moment for me personally was the rescue
of the migrants at sea. It was a very difficult thing to see. We did
not expect to see them jump into the sea. For a few minutes, we were
a little panicked since they were far away. We were scared that they
might drown — and die. And what would we have done with the bodies?
We really went through all the scenarios. I think this was the moment
when everyone broke down a little. I myself cried because it was such
a hard moment.

The other moment that was very difficult was when we were woken up in
the middle of the night by the alarm for drones. We panicked because
we wondered if it was a drone attack or if it was just
surveillance. It lasted just a few minutes, but it happened in the
middle of the night, so it was a complicated atmosphere, we were just
waking up, and it was stressful. When the alarm rings at night, it’s
difficult to manage. These were the two moments that were the most
emotionally intense.

_Rima Hassan is a French Palestinian jurist and member of the European
Parliament for La France Insoumise._

_Hanno Hauenstein is an independent journalist based in Berlin. He’s
written for the Guardian, the Intercept, and several German
outlets._

* Freedom Flotilla
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* Rima Hassan
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* Gaza
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* Humanitarian Aid
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