Gaza Siege Committee Chief reveals Handala Ship Incident

Shafaq News

4 days ago

Shafaq News – Gaza
The Head of the International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza, Zaher Birawi, on Tuesday blamed Arab and Islamic countries for their silence over the Israeli seizure of the Handala ship and accused Western governments of enabling Israeli actions.
In an exclusive statement to Shafaq News, Birawi disclosed that Israeli forces had detained the ship and its 21 passengers—comprising international activists, politicians, human rights advocates, doctors, technical crew, and officials from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.
He denounced the raid as 'an act of piracy in the high seas and international waters,' insisting that 'the occupying state has no right to carry out such action, and we hold it fully responsible for the safety of all activists.'
Drawing from previous incidents, Birawi explained that those detained are undergoing initial arrest procedures and will likely be brought before an Israeli court on charges of 'attempting to enter the occupying state without a permit or prior approval.' The court, he noted, typically pressures detainees to sign a pledge not to repeat the attempt. 'They will not sign these Israeli documents,' he asserted, adding that courts usually try to persuade them, and if they refuse, issue deportation orders.
'These activists are not attempting to enter Israel,' he clarified. 'They are trying to break the blockade imposed on Palestinians,' which he described as 'illegal and immoral, and not within the rights of the occupying state.'
He noted that several activists, due to political considerations and in coordination with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, signed the documents over the past two days to leave custody and share their accounts with the media. The remaining detainees are still being held at Ashdod Port and are expected to be released within the next two days.
Birawi underscored that the core of the mission lies in the message of defiance and resolve these activists embody—individuals who, he said, represent the 'free people of the world' and refuse to remain silent in the face of what he described as Israeli crimes. He confirmed that efforts to break the blockade would continue.
He pointed out that governments, including those in the Arab and Islamic world, possess the means to pressure Israel but fail to use them effectively. 'We hold these governments accountable and clear our conscience before the world and history,' he stated, 'by doing all we can to end the war on our people in Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid to those being starved as a method of pressure.'
Birawi further accused Western governments of active complicity in 'the crimes committed by the occupying state against our people in Gaza,' and in actions against blockade-breaking vessels and international activists. He questioned France's silence despite the presence of French nationals aboard the ship, including a member of the French National Assembly and a representative in the European Parliament.
'Legally, Israel has no right to assault civilians in international waters,' he emphasized, noting that the Handala was intercepted more than 50 nautical miles from Gaza's coast—clearly within international waters.
He concluded that the position of Western governments toward their citizens comes as no surprise, 'because—unfortunately—they are already actively supporting Israel, whether through arms deals, silence over its crimes, or political cover in international forums.'
Handala ship had been en route to challenge Israel's naval blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the enclave before it was intercepted by Israeli forces last Saturday.