JERUSALEM, July 27 —
Israeli naval forces boarded the vessel Handala, operated by the pro-Palestinian group Freedom Flotilla Coalition, as it sailed through international waters towards Gaza yesterday. The moment was livestreamed by activists on board, showing them peacefully resisting by raising their hands and singing the Italian resistance song Bella Ciao.
According to Israel’s foreign ministry, the navy halted the ship Navarn — referred to by activists as Handala — to prevent it from “illegally entering the maritime zone off the Gaza coast.” The statement emphasized, “The vessel is safely making its way to Israeli shores. All passengers are safe.”
The flotilla aimed to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza by delivering a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid. Before interception, the boat’s live GPS tracker placed it approximately 50km from Egypt’s coast and 100km west of Gaza.
Freedom Flotilla Coalition confirmed on social media that Handala had been “intercepted and boarded illegally by Israeli forces whilst in international waters.”
Onboard were 19 participants, including two French parliamentarians — Emma Fourreau and Gabrielle Cathala — and two Al Jazeera journalists. Their transmissions stopped shortly after Israeli forces boarded the vessel. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of France’s leftist party La France Insoumise, condemned the action on X, calling it a “kidnapping” and urging the French government to respond.
The activists had declared they would begin a hunger strike if detained. Gaza continues to face dire shortages of food, water, and medicine, with international agencies warning of worsening humanitarian conditions and looming famine.
This incident follows a similar one on June 9, when another Freedom Flotilla boat, the Madleen, carrying 12 activists including Greta Thunberg, was intercepted and its passengers expelled.
