Humanitarian ships and naval fleet - Voice of the nations

The Israeli occupation's interception of the Handala and Madeleine ships

And the detention of their passengers is a crime of piracy

First: "Handala" is an international solidarity ship

that often launches initiatives to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. It carries international, Arab, European, and Palestinian activists who support the Palestinian cause.

The goal of the Handala ship is to draw international attention to the suffering of the people of Gaza under the Israeli blockade and to demand the opening of sea lanes and the entry of humanitarian aid, medicine, and essential supplies.

The Handala ship, aiming to break the blockade on Gaza, has sailed toward the Strip for seven consecutive days. As the Handala ship approached the shores of Gaza to break the blockade, fears of its being targeted or intercepted increased.

Twenty-one activists of approximately ten nationalities were on board. The "Handala" ship continued its journey to Gaza to break the blockade after the ship's operator announced the restoration of contact with it after approximately two hours of loss of contact on Thursday night due to the approach of drones.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition broadcast the last minutes of recordings from the ship's surveillance cameras before the loss of contact. With it.

Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Al-Baqali said from aboard the ship that drones surrounded the Gaza-bound ship. He added that the ship's crew activated an emergency plan.

The drones hovering near the ship raised fears that it might be attacked, before communication was restored.

Activists on board the "Handala" ship, heading to the Gaza Strip, also announced their decision to go on a hunger strike if they are arrested by Israeli authorities.

The occupation's interception of the "Handala" ship and the detention of its passengers is a crime of piracy.

The Netanyahu government must be held responsible for the safety of the activists, and calls must be made for the continuation of the naval convoys until the blockade is broken and the entry of sea aid for citizens is permitted.

The United Nations must be demanded to condemn the crime of piracy and hold the occupation accountable for its ongoing aggression and war of extermination against Gaza.

American activist Chris Smalls, founder of the Amazon Workers Union and one of its volunteers, recounted to Al Jazeera how they faced psychological warfare from drones.

Before the hijacking, Smalls stated that the goal of his volunteering was to show Americans Where does their tax money go, and what atrocities Israel is committing against the Palestinian people in Gaza?

Israeli occupation forces stormed the solidarity ship "Handala," which was sailing in international territorial waters to the Gaza Strip to break the blockade and bring in humanitarian aid.

The ship, Handala, part of the Freedom Flotilla, arrived at the port of Ashdod on Sunday after being boarded by Israeli naval forces and taken there.

The occupation forces seized the ship, which was carrying international activists, on the seventh day of its voyage aimed at breaking the blockade on the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that the activists on board were interrogated and would be handed over to the police.

The ship was on its way to attempt to break the Israeli naval blockade on Gaza and bring in humanitarian aid for the Palestinians in the Strip before the Israeli army intercepted it and detained its crew, including two members of parliament from the "France Insoumise" party, which opposes immigration laws.

Agence France-Presse reported that Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, had sent lawyers to the port in southern Israel and demanded... By allowing them to communicate with the detained activists on the ship.

Activists on board the "Handala" called for pressure on their countries to release them.

This came in pre-recorded video messages posted by the "Freedom Flotilla Coalition" on social media platforms, following the Israeli occupation's seizure of the ship.

Second: The Madeleine

This ship is part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which has been seeking for years to break the sea, air, and land blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip. Since 2007, Israel has imposed a comprehensive blockade on the Strip, severely impacting the lives of nearly 2 million Palestinians and limiting the access to essential aid and freedom of movement. As part of these ongoing efforts,

The Madeleine set sail in early June 2025 from the Italian port of Catania, carrying essential humanitarian aid and a symbolic message challenging this blockade and drawing attention to the suffering of the people of Gaza.

The two naval vessels carry prominent international activists and are from the same organization, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.

The objectives of the journey

The ship's mission was The "Madeleine" had dual objectives

Humanitarian and symbolic. From a humanitarian perspective, the ship carried 12 activists of various nationalities, along with a shipment of essential aid, including food, medicine, and critical medical equipment. Although the amount of aid was "symbolic" compared to the Gaza Strip's massive needs,

it aimed to send a clear message that the world still cares and is trying to deliver support. Symbolically,

The voyage represented a direct challenge to the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza. It was part of an ongoing effort to break this blockade and raise global awareness of the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Strip, especially after the recent escalation of tensions and the threat of famine.

 The presence of prominent figures

such as Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, Irish actor Liam Cunningham, French MEP Rima Hassan, and Al Jazeera Mubasher journalist Omar Fayyad, contributed to attracting international media attention and amplifying the voice of the Palestinian cause on the global stage.

Voyage Route and Interception Event

The "Madeleine" began its long and arduous journey from The ship sailed to the Italian port of Catania, covering a distance of approximately 1,250 nautical miles (approximately 2,000 kilometers). The continuous journey took approximately seven days. The ship was flying the British flag and operating under the supervision of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. As it approached the coast of Gaza, specifically on the morning of Monday, June 9, 2025,

It was intercepted by the Israeli Navy in international waters. Israeli soldiers boarded the ship, seized it, and detained everyone on board.
After the interception, Israeli warships escorted the Madeleine to the Israeli port of Ashdod that evening, ending its journey to Gaza before it could reach its intended destination.
From here, we can see the similarity between the attacks on the two aid ships, carried out in the same manner. To date, the world has remained silent on the situation.

Third: The two ships were unarmed and carrying life-saving humanitarian aid when the Israeli occupation forces boarded them, hijacked their crews, and confiscated their cargo. This interception occurred in international waters, outside Palestinian territorial waters off the coast of Gaza, a clear violation of international maritime law.

The statement indicated that the two ships were carrying a critical shipment of humanitarian aid for the Palestinian people in Gaza, including baby formula, diapers, food, and medicine. All of these materials were entirely civilian and non-military, and were intended for direct distribution to the population facing deliberate famine and health collapse under the illegal Israeli blockade

The statement noted that the two ships included members of parliament, lawyers, journalists, trade unionists, environmental activists, and human rights defenders. Here, we can see the joy on the faces of those in solidarity, because they know they are doing the right thing.

They are demanding freedom for the Palestinians and for the entire world by refusing to remain silent and participating in every possible way. They are refusing to accept the violation of the rights of any human being, whoever they may be.

The right to subsistence, a right that is natural to obtain here in Gaza, is being taken away before our eyes in the most horrific forms of torture. And with all this information and events reaching other countries, their silence in the face of these atrocities is disgusting. Yes, here, humanity loses its humanity. Here, words end and the ink dries. We record these atrocities here in 2025, in

complete sorrow and solidarity with the Palestinian people, heart and soul. Everyone must show solidarity and work to convey the suffering to the relevant authorities to stop it and punish those responsible for this humanitarian catastrophe. When goodness, conveying the voice of the people, advocacy, support, and demonstration become crimes, and evil is applauded, honored, normalized, and supported with all its capabilities to deprive people of their rights, and to carry out bombings, assassinations, killings, and starvation in various parts of the world, these acts cannot be allowed to exist, cannot be accepted, and will not be tolerated. Silence here is the crime.