Israeli Army Intercepts Pro-Palestinian Handala Ship Bound for Gaza, Detains 19

An aid-bound ship in a pro-Palestinian flotilla, the Handala, was intercepted by the Israeli army on Saturday, July 26, as it headed toward Gaza with humanitarian cargo.

“Reporters without Borders (known by its French acronym RSF) has condemned Israel for “kidnapping” three journalists on board the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla, which Israel intercepted while it was travelling in international waters”

Al Jazeera

tv5monde reported that the Handala carried nineteen militants of diverse nationalities, including two LFI elected representatives, Gabrielle Cathala and Emma Fourreau, as well as two journalists.

Al Jazeera

The Israeli Foreign Ministry, through Gideon Saar, announced on X that “The Israeli navy prevented the Navarn (its original name, editor's note) from illegally entering the maritime zone off the Gaza coast. The ship is safely heading toward the shores of Israel,” and said “all passengers are safe.”

Le Monde.fr, citing an AFP journalist, reported that the Handala arrived on Sunday morning, July 27, at the port of Ashdod in southern Israel, where the nineteen people were detained by Israeli authorities.

Le Monde.fr also said the Israeli NGO Adalah told AFP it had sent lawyers to the port and demanded to be allowed to speak with the passengers aboard the boat.

In parallel, Le Monde.fr described images released online showing pro-Palestinian militants sitting on the Handala’s deck with hands in the air and whistling the Italian antifascist song Bella Ciao as soldiers took control of the vessel.

The same Le Monde.fr account said the video transmissions were cut a few minutes later, and it quoted Gabrielle Cathala on X saying, “A soldier has just destroyed the live camera.”

The Handala was described as a former Norwegian trawler, and tv5monde said it was carrying medical supplies, food, children’s equipment, and medicines.

tv5monde reported that at the time of the arrest the flotilla was about 50 kilometers from the Egyptian coast and 100 kilometers west of Gaza, according to an online tracking tool.

tv5monde

Le Monde.fr likewise said an online tracking tool showed the ship was about 50 kilometers from the Egyptian coast and 100 kilometers west of Gaza when it was intercepted, and it added that the ship was “less than seven hours from Gaza.”

Le Monde.fr reported that the boat had left July 13 from the Italian port of Syracuse in Sicily, and it described the former Norwegian trawler as carrying “medical equipment, food, supplies for children, and medicines.”

Le Monde.fr specified that the nineteen people on board included two French elected representatives from La France insoumise (LFI), Gabrielle Cathala and Emma Fourreau, as well as two journalists.

It also said that “Two other activists, Bob Subery and Huwaida Arraf, who hold dual nationality (Israeli and American), were transferred to the police,” with an Adalah lawyer present to provide legal support.

In tv5monde’s account, the Handala’s passengers and supporters framed the boarding as unlawful, with Jean-Luc Mélenchon reacting on X that “Netanyahu's thugs boarded Handala. They attacked 21 unarmed people in international waters, where they have no rights.”

Alongside the interception, Israeli officials asserted that they were enforcing a maritime security blockade and described the attempt to break it as dangerous and illegal.

“A new 'flotilla for freedom' heading toward Gaza, aimed at breaking the Israeli blockade, was intercepted by the Israeli army on Saturday, July 26”

tv5monde

tv5monde said that earlier in the day the Israeli army announced it would enforce “the legal maritime security blockade of the Gaza Strip,” and it quoted the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s assurance that “unauthorized attempts to break the blockade are dangerous, illegal, and undermine the ongoing humanitarian efforts.”

In the same tv5monde account, Gideon Saar posted on X that “The Israeli navy prevented the Navarn (its original name, editor's note) from illegally entering the maritime zone off the Gaza coast,” and it added that “The ship is safely heading toward the shores of Israel.”

Le Monde.fr reported that for its part, the Israeli army had warned on Saturday that it would enforce “the legal maritime security blockade of the Gaza Strip,” and it described the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s evening announcement that “All passengers are safe,” while also saying “unauthorized attempts to break the blockade are dangerous, illegal, and undermine the humanitarian efforts underway.”

Le Monde.fr also quoted the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s X post that “The Israeli navy prevented the ship Navarn [its original name] from entering illegally in the maritime zone off the Gaza coast.”

Against that, Le Monde.fr included Adalah’s position to AFP that the militants aboard Handala were taking part in “a peaceful civil mission aimed at breaking the illegal blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza,” and that “their detention constitutes a flagrant violation of international law.”

The same Le Monde.fr account reported that the Handala’s crew said on X they would go on a hunger strike if the ship were intercepted by the Israeli army and its passengers detained.

The Handala episode was framed by both sides with reference to prior actions and stated intentions if intercepted.

tv5monde said the flotilla crew had stated on X that they would go on a hunger strike if the vessel were intercepted by the Israeli army and its passengers detained.

Al Jazeera

Le Monde.fr similarly reported that “The Handala's crew had said on X that they would go on a hunger strike if the ship were intercepted by the Israeli army, and its passengers detained.”

tv5monde also connected the July 26 boarding to a previous interception, saying it came six weeks after the detention of Madleen, another ship in the flotilla from Italy on June 1.

In tv5monde’s account, Madleen carried 12 militants, including environmentalist Greta Thunberg and LFI MEP Rima Hassan, and it was intercepted about 185 kilometers west of the Gaza coast and taken to Israel.

tv5monde reported that its occupants were subsequently expelled to their countries of origin.

Le Monde.fr provided additional detail on that earlier case and tied the flotilla context to Israel’s offensive beginning after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and to a strict humanitarian blockade imposed at the beginning of March.

Another Gaza-bound flotilla incident described by Al Jazeera involved Reporters without Borders (RSF) condemning Israel for “kidnapping” three journalists on board the Global Sumud Flotilla.

“Reporters without Borders (known by its French acronym RSF) has condemned Israel for “kidnapping” three journalists on board the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla, which Israel intercepted while it was travelling in international waters”

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera said RSF “condemns the kidnapping in international waters by the Israeli army” of French correspondent Hafed Mribah and Turkish cameraman Mahmut Yavuz, who both work for Al Jazeera, and journalist Alex Colston, who works for US media outlet Zeteo.

tv5monde

Al Jazeera reported that RSF said “Israel is responsible for their safety,” and it quoted Al Jazeera’s response that it expressed “its deep concern for the safety” of its journalists.

Al Jazeera also said the Network holds the Israeli authorities fully responsible for the safety of its colleagues Hafed and Mahmut, and it called on the international community to take a unified stance against Israel’s repeated violations of international law and conventions.

Al Jazeera further reported that Al Jazeera “reaffirms its commitment to press freedom and calls for the protection of all journalists, and for enabling them to carry out their duties freely and without obstruction.”

In the same Al Jazeera account, organisers said Israel intercepted 22 of 58 vessels bound for Gaza late on Wednesday in international waters off Greece’s Peloponnese Peninsula, and they said 211 people were detained.

Al Jazeera added that Israel said it would transport detainees to Greece, and it reported that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez accused Israel of “once again violating international law by attacking a civilian flotilla in waters that do not belong to it,” urging the European Union to freeze bilateral ties.