Israel seizes Gaza-bound aid ship Handala, detains crew members
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition on Sunday morning confirmed that its civilian vessel Handala, en route to break Israel’s illegal, genocidal blockade on Palestinians in Gaza, was "violently" intercepted by the Israeli military in international waters about forty nautical miles from Gaza.
"At 11:43 Palestine time the Occupation cut the cameras on board Handala, and we have lost all communication with our ship. The unarmed boat was carrying life-saving supplies when Israeli forces boarded it, its passengers abducted, and its cargo seized. The interception occurred in international waters outside Palestinian territorial waters off Gaza, in violation of international maritime law," the statement reads.
The Handala carried 21 civilians representing 12 countries, including parliamentarians, lawyers, journalists, labour organisers, environmentalists, and other human rights defenders.
The attack on Handala is the third violent act by Israeli forces against Freedom Flotilla missions this year alone. It follows the drone bombing of the civilian aid ship Conscience in European waters in May, which injured four people and disabled the vessel, and the illegal seizure of the Madleen in June, where Israeli forces abducted twelve civilians, including a Member of the European Parliament.
Shortly before their abduction, the Handala‘s crew affirmed that they would be hunger-striking if detained by Israeli forces and not accepting any food from the "Israeli Occupation Forces".
“Israel has no legal authority to detain international civilians aboard the Handala,” said Ann Wright a member of the Freedom Flotilla’s steering committee.
“This is not a matter of internal Israeli jurisdiction. These are foreign nationals operating under international law in international waters. Their detention is arbitrary, unlawful, and must end.”
Hamas has denounced Israel for intercepting the Gaza-bound aid ship, and called on the UN “to condemn the crime of piracy”.
“We hold the Netanyahu government responsible for the safety of the activists, and call for the continuation of the flotillas until the blockade is broken,” it said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Israel has resumed airdrop aid to Gaza on Saturday after mounting international pressure. Israeli Foreign Ministry also announced that it will apply a "humanitarian pause" in civilian centres and in humanitarian corridors to enable the distribution of aid supply.
This comes after the Gaza Government Media Office warned that over 100,000 children under the age of two, including 40,000 infants under one year old, are facing the threat of imminent mass death within days due to the total absence of infant formula and nutritional supplements.
