The Israeli occupation forces intercepted, at dawn on Sunday, the “Handala” ship of the “Freedom Flotilla” alliance, and ascended to it by force while sailing in international waters towards the Gaza Strip, according to what appeared in a live broadcast of the activists on board.
The direct footage showed the activists sitting on the deck, raising their hands, before the Israeli soldiers took control of it and the broadcast was cut off a few minutes after the storming.
The “Freedom Fleet” coalition confirmed through a post on social media platforms that the ship’s control was “illegally”, noting that the objection process occurred while “Handala” was about 50 kilometers from the Egyptian coast, and at a distance of 100 kilometers west of Gaza.
On the other hand, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the ship is now heading to the shores of Israel, confirming that all those on board were “in good health.”
The ship had launched a distress call after Israeli marine boats approached, while activists monitored hours before the storming of Israeli march planes flying over them.
It is noteworthy that “Handala” sailed on July 13 from the Italian port of Sri Law, and later stopped in the port of Gallipoli to fix technical breakdowns, before its journey continued on July 20, with 21 international activists on board.
This incident comes weeks after the Israeli army took control of last June on the ship “Madeleine” of the Freedom Fleet, and the arrest of 12 activists who were on their way to the Strip before they were deported.
Since October 2023, the Gaza Strip has suffered from a devastating war that led to one of the worst humanitarian and famine crises in its modern history.
