Trending 
The pro-Palestinian activist vessel Handala has been brought into the Israeli port of Ashdod after being intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters.
The boat, which was part of an effort to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza, was seized late on Saturday, according to an AFP journalist present at the scene.
Organised by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the mission aimed to deliver a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid to Gaza and draw attention to Israel’s illegal blockade. The group reported that the interception occurred after roughly 12 hours at sea.
Legal representatives from the Adalah centre, which defends the rights of Palestinian citizens of Israel, confirmed they had spoken to 19 of the 21 international crew members detained in Ashdod. Among them were two French members of parliament from the left-wing France Unbowed party and two journalists from Al Jazeera. The remaining two individuals, who hold dual US-Israeli citizenship, were placed into police custody, Adalah said.
In a statement, Adalah condemned the interception as a breach of international law, asserting that the Handala was halted unlawfully in international waters and its crew was unlawfully detained. The group described the mission as a peaceful act of protest intended to challenge Israel’s long-standing blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry defended the navy’s actions, stating that the vessel had been prevented from reaching Gaza’s coastal waters and that all passengers remained safe.
A live broadcast from the Handala shortly before midnight Saturday showed Israeli troops boarding the ship, with maritime tracking data confirming its location in international waters west of Gaza at the time.
Activists had earlier posted on social media that they would launch a hunger strike if the vessel was intercepted and its crew detained. Those aboard the Handala included campaigners from ten countries, encompassing American, European, and Arab nationals.
This is not the first time the Freedom Flotilla has attempted to breach the Israeli blockade. In June, another of its vessels, the Madleen, was intercepted in international waters and also towed to Ashdod. That ship carried 12 activists, including Swedish environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg, who, along with the others, was subsequently expelled from Israel.
