A Tasmanian captain leading a humanitarian fleet to Gaza has reportedly been detained by Israeli forces in international waters today.
Madeleine Habib, an Australian citizen skippering the vessel named Conscience, appears to have been intercepted by Israeli military personnel as shown on a live video feed of the incident.
Habib made a desperate plea to the Australian government in a pre-recorded video.
“If you’re watching this video, it’s because our vessel, the Conscience, has been illegally intercepted in international waters and I have been taken hostage by the Israeli Occupational Forces,” she said.
“Please reach out to the Australian Government and tell them to stop being complicit in the genocide.”
Live CCTV footage showed military helicopters circling the ship before personnel attempted to stop the cameras around 12pm Tasmanian time.
The vessel’s crew, consisting primarily of medical workers and journalists, were seen gathering on deck during the confrontation.
Independent Franklin MP Peter George has written to Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong urging immediate action on behalf of Habib and other Australians aboard.
“Madeleine and her passengers were apparently detained in the night when Israeli forces boarded the Conscience in what amounts to an act of piracy, taking place in international waters involving the Conscience and other vessels that presented no conceivable threat to Israel,” George wrote.
The Conscience was reportedly carrying 92 passengers, mainly doctors and nurses intending to deliver medical aid to Palestinians in Gaza, along with journalists aiming to report on the conflict.
George described Habib as “a woman of outstanding character of whom all Tasmanians and Australians can be proud,” and called for “strong diplomatic protests” and full embassy assistance to secure her release.
The Australian Government has yet to issue an official response.
