Israeli Armed Forces intercepted the vessel Handala off the Palestinian coast at around 10:30 pm on Saturday, 26 July. The Freedom Flotilla vessel, which aims to break the blockade and deliver humanitarian aid to the population of Gaza during these particularly hard-hit days of famine caused by Israel, is being directed toward the coast. Its crew is in the custody of Israeli authorities, the Israeli Foreign Ministry announced.

“The crew of the Handala was illegally kidnapped. We demand their immediate release”, said French MEP Emma Fourreau. The boarding occurred after much tension in recent hours amid fears of a repeat of the same situation as the Madleen, the Flotilla ship sent earlier and which suffered the same fate as the Handala . 

Israel has confirmed that they were the ones who intercepted them and are taking them, against their will, to Israeli territory. “The ship is proceeding safely toward the Israeli coast and all passengers are safe”, the Israeli military said in a statement, warning that “unauthorised attempts to violate the blockade are dangerous, illegal, and undermine ongoing humanitarian efforts”.

The Handala (named after the iconic Palestinian cartoon figure—ed.) is made up of 19 activists of diverse nationalities and professions, including politicians and public representatives, who set sail from Syracuse, Sicily, on 13 June. Among them is Spanish activist  Santiago González Vallejo. A now retired economist, González Vallejo co-founded the Committee of Solidarity with the Arab Cause (CSCA) and has been notable for investigating and denouncing several Spanish companies, such as the Basque Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF), for doing business with the Israeli occupation.

They recall that this action seeks to comply with the mandate of the International Court of Justice, which, in successive resolutions and together with the United Nations General Assembly, calls for an end to the genocide, ethnic cleansing, and colonialism practiced by Israel and, on the contrary, for free movement, access to international aid, the expeditious restoration of the activities of UNRWA and other international organisations, and Israel’s compensation for the destruction of life, infrastructure, and elements that make a dignified life possible.

Machine Translation from El Salto