Freedom Flotilla vessel Handala (Credit: Freedom Flotilla Coalition)
After 'Israeli' raid of Madleen, Freedom Flotilla launches new Gaza-bound vessel Handala
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) announced Sunday that it will launch a new mission on July 13, sending the vessel Handala toward Gaza in a direct challenge to what it calls Israel’s “illegal, deadly blockade” of the coastal enclave.
The boat, named after the iconic Palestinian cartoon character representing resistance and exile, will carry humanitarian aid and a delegation of civilians determined to break through the ongoing siege. Onboard will be volunteer medics, human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, and community organizers from around the world.
“The vessel will carry 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 coalition said in a press statement.
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This latest mission comes just weeks after a previous flotilla boat, the Madleen, was reportedly seized by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) in international waters. According to the coalition, twelve unarmed civilians aboard that ship, including a Member of the European Parliament, a doctor, and several journalists, were detained, interrogated, and eventually deported.
Their alleged offense, the coalition states, was “attempting to bring food, medicine, and solidarity to Palestinians under siege.”
The launch of Handala follows a deadly escalation in Gaza that began on March 18, when 'Israel' resumed its military campaign. Since then, Gaza’s Health Ministry reports at least 6,572 Palestinians killed and more than 23,000 wounded. Among the casualties are over 700 individuals reportedly shot while waiting for food at distribution points run by the US and 'Israel'-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a system the FFC accuses of being “a death trap masquerading as an aid scheme.”
Named after a barefoot child refugee who turned his back to the world in the artwork of Palestinian cartoonist Naji al-Ali, Handala has already visited numerous ports across Northern Europe and the UK in 2023 and 2024, where it served as a floating platform for awareness campaigns, art installations, and political education.
“This mission is for the children of Gaza,” the coalition said, highlighting that more than half the population of Gaza are minors. “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.”
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which has challenged 'Israel’s' naval blockade since 2010, emphasizes that its efforts are civilian-led and grassroots in nature. “We are not governments,” the coalition stated. “We are people, taking action where institutions have failed.”
Despite the risks, including past raids, arrests, and deportations, the group says it will not be deterred.
“We are not backing down.”
