Israeli forces on Saturday boarded a vessel that the pro-Palestinian activist group Freedom Flotilla was sailing towards Gaza, as shown in a livestream broadcast by the group. The livefeed depicted activists on the deck of the “Handala” raising their hands and whistling the Italian anti-fascist song “Bella Ciao” as soldiers took control of the boat. The Handala had been en route to attempt to breach an Israeli naval blockade of Gaza and deliver a small quantity of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian residents of the territory.
Three online video livefeeds of the incident were cut minutes after they began broadcasting. In a message posted on social media, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition declared: “‘Handala’ has been intercepted and boarded illegally by Israeli forces whilst in international waters.” An online tracking tool charting the Handala’s course showed the boat’s position to be approximately 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the Egyptian coast and 100 kilometers west of Gaza when the interception occurred.
There was no immediate confirmation of the operation from the Israeli military, although earlier in the day it had announced its intention to enforce “the legal maritime security blockade on the Gaza Strip.” The Handala was carrying 19 activists, including several European politicians, and two Al Jazeera journalists, who managed to broadcast from the vessel until shortly before its interception. Among those detained were two French Members of Parliament, Emma Fourreau and Gabrielle Cathala. Their party leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon of France Unbowed (LFI), condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He posted on X: “Netanyahu’s thugs boarded Handala. They attack 21 unarmed people in territorial waters where they have no right. A kidnapping in which two French parliamentarians are victims.” Mélenchon demanded that the French government take action.
Gaza is currently facing severe shortages of food and other essential supplies, with the United Nations and various NGOs warning of an impending famine. The Handala’s crew had stated in a post on X that they would initiate a hunger strike if the Israeli army intercepted the boat and detained its passengers. This incident follows the interception of the last boat sent by the Freedom Flotilla, the Madleen, which was intercepted by the Israeli army in international waters on June 9 and subsequently towed to the Israeli port of Ashdod. That vessel carried 12 campaigners, including prominent Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, all of whom were eventually expelled by Israel.
