Freedom Flotilla’s Gaza-bound aid boat Handala begins its journey
Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) announces that Handala, their civilian aid boat, has officially set sail from Siracusa, Italy and begun its journey to Gaza on Sunday. The boat carries life-saving humanitarian aid and a message of solidarity from people around the world refusing to stay silent as Gaza is starved, bombed, and buried under rubble.
The former Norwegian trawler, loaded with medical supplies, food, children's equipment and medicine, will sail for about a week in the Mediterranean, covering roughly 1,800 kilometres (1,120 miles), in the hope of reaching Gaza's coast. Freedom Flotilla Coalition has partnered with Forensic Architecture and equipped the Handala with an advanced tracking system.
This mission comes just weeks after Israel’s illegal attack on the Madleen, another Freedom Flotilla boat, which was violently seized in international waters. Twelve unarmed civilians, including a Member of the European Parliament, a doctor, journalists, and human rights defenders, were abducted by the Israeli army and taken against their will to Israel, where they were deported.
The aid boat is named after the Palestinian cartoon figure Handala, a barefoot refugee child. The character was created in 1969 by political cartoonist Naji al-Ali. Handala became the signature of Naji al-Ali's cartoons and remains an iconic symbol of Palestinian identity and defiance.
"Handala sails in the shadow of ongoing mass atrocities. Since March 18, 2025, when Israel broke the ceasefire and resumed attacks on Gaza, at least 6,572 Palestinians have been killed and over 23,000 injured, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry," the press note from FFC reads.
Among the crew is 70-year-old Vigdis Bjorvand from Norway. She first joined 'Handala' in 2023, which did not manage to sail to Gaza, and tried again with 'Conscience' earlier this year. Now, she’s back on board, determined to deliver aid, medicine and solidarity to Palestinians in Gaza.
"Among them, over 700 were gunned down as they waited for food at distribution points controlled by the U.S. and Israel-backed “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” (GHF), a death trap masquerading as an aid scheme, a structure of control and cruelty serving Israel’s genocide."
Handala is part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a grassroots international network that has been sailing against the blockade since 2010. On board are volunteer medics, lawyers, social justice activists, journalists, and community organisers.
"In 2023 and 2024, Handala sailed to ports around Europe and the UK, breaking through the media blockade, engaging the public, and building solidarity through press events, art installations, and political education in every port it visited," FFC stated.
The children of Gaza, who make up over half the population, have been living under a brutal blockade and siege for their entire lives. Since October 2023, over 50,000 have been killed or injured, tens of thousands orphaned, and nearly a million forcibly displaced and homeless. All now face famine, disease, and trauma few of us can imagine.
