The first boat organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, Madleen, sets sail on June 1. Photo: Getty Images
On July 13, “Handala,” the second vessel organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) bound for Gaza, launched from Syracuse, Italy. On board was an international contingent comprised of 21 human rights organizers, humanitarian aid workers, lawyers, activists, and journalists, all committed to delivering crucial aid to Palestinians currently being forcibly starved. On July 26, less than two weeks after the boat set sail, those 21 people were “kidnapped” by the Israeli military.
Video footage posted on FFC’s Twitter account shows armed Israeli soldiers intercepting the boat when it was just 40 nautical miles from Gaza. According to the FFC, the soldiers also cut the boat’s surveillance cameras.
“The unarmed boat was carrying life-saving supplies when it was boarded by Israeli forces, its passengers abducted, and its cargo seized,” the FFC said in a statement posted to its website and social media accounts. “All cargo was non-military, civilian, and intended for direct distribution to a population facing deliberate starvation and medical collapse under Israel’s illegal siege.” Among the items meant for suffering Palestinians were baby formula, food, medicine, and prosthetics.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that its navy had intercepted the ship, Al Jazeera reported. “The vessel is safely making its way to the shores of Israel,” it reads. “All passengers are safe.”
Among the notable passengers intercepted by the Israeli navy is Chris Smalls, co-founder and former president of the Amazon Labor Union, who—hours before Handala was intercepted—posted to his Instagram story: “If and when Israel kidnaps us, please follow @gazafreedomflotilla and my @thelaborpartyusa account for updates on my status until I am released from prison. I will not sign any paperwork and will remain as long as possible on hunger strike.” Smalls also included an email address for his assistant. Jezebel has reached out for an updated status. The other members also said they anticipated being intercepted in videos posted to the FFC social media accounts.
Just over a month before Handala set sail, the first FFC vessel, “Madleen,” departed for Gaza from Catania, Sicily, on June 1. Eight days into the journey, it was also intercepted by Israeli forces and redirected. Among the crew’s 12 members was Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who later described the detainment by Israeli military members as “kidnapping.” While she told reporters that she was “OK,” she further described being treated in a “dehumanizing way” by Israeli authorities.
As an onslaught of devastating photos, videos, and accounts of the forced famine and starvation in Gaza continues to spark widespread outrage, Israel announced a supposed halt in military operations for 10 hours a day in parts of Gaza, one day after Handala was intercepted. Further, the Israeli military said designated routes for convoys delivering food and medicine will also be in place between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. starting on Sunday. Whether or not the Israeli military will maintain these measures is unclear. After all, one day before the announcement, 11 Palestinians were injured in aid airdrops carried out by Israeli soldiers when a number of pallets were dropped onto tents along a main road.
At least 59,921 people, including at least 17,400 children, have been killed in Palestine as of July 28, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza. 147 of those people, including 88 children, died of starvation. While the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, denied any starvation in Gaza, President Trump disagreed. On Monday, Trump told reporters that “based on television, children “look very hungry” in Gaza. “But we’re giving a lot of money and a lot of food, and other nations are now stepping up,” he added. What a leader.
Currently, the 21 members of Handala remain detained on the Israeli ship.
