Freedom Flotilla Coalition prepares to sail second ship ‘Handala’ to Gaza
The coalition’s ‘Madleen’ ship made headlines in June when it attempted to sail to Gaza, with climate activist Greta Thunberg aboard.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition is setting sail to Gaza on a second ship, named ‘Handala,’ in five days, the organization announced late on Sunday.
The ship will depart from Siracusa, Italy, to “break the blockade for the children of Gaza.”
The name ‘Handala’ originated as a comic book character created by a Palestinian cartoonist, Naji Al-Ali, who became a symbol of Palestinian resistance. The character is depicted as a barefoot Palestinian child adorned with scrapes and patches, with his back turned.
The coalition’s ‘Madleen’ ship made headlines in June when it attempted to sail to Gaza with climate activist Greta Thunberg aboard.
The IDF intercepted the ‘Madleen’ before it docked at Gaza’s shores, and all those aboard were deported from Israel.
Activists react on the Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship ‘Handala’ as they prepare to sail for Gaza in an attempt to break a long-standing Israeli blockade and deliver humanitarian aid amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Marsa, Malta August 16, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/DARRIN ZAMMIT LUPI)
The coalition maintains its claim that the IDF was illegally seized by Israel in international waters, adding that twelve unarmed civilians, including a Member of the European Parliament, a doctor, journalists, and human rights defenders, were abducted by commandos, taken against their will to Israel, and were interrogated and abused before they were deported. “Their ‘crime’? Attempting to bring food, medicine, and solidarity to Palestinians under siege,” the coalition added.
“We are not governments. We are people taking action where institutions have failed. We are not backing down,” the coalition said in its statement.
Humanitarian aid to Gaza as well as ‘a message of solidarity’
The ‘Handala’ ship 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.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition describes itself as a “grassroots people-to-people solidarity movement,” comprising initiatives and campaigns from different parts of the world with the goal of ending the blockade on Gaza.
