13-07-2025
"Handala" Humanitarian ship departs from Italy toward Gaza amid ongoing blockade
ALBAWABA - A new Freedom Flotilla ship called Handala sailed from the port of Syracuse in Sicily, Italy, on Sunday. It was bringing relief aid and pro-Palestinian activists who want to break Israel's ban on Gaza. The plan comes after more than 21 months of terrible war and a humanitarian crisis in the coastal region.
Dozens of people holding Palestinian flags and shouting "Free Palestine" cheered as about 15 activists got on board. The international Freedom Flotilla Coalition organizes and funds the project with gifts from people all over the world.
The French leader of the fleet, Claude Léostik, said the mission was a show of international unity with the people of Gaza and a way to bring attention to their pain because they are under lockdown.
On July 18, Handala will stop in Gallipoli, which is in the southeast of Italy. There, Gabrielle Catala and Emma Fourreau, two French MPs from the communist "La France Insoumise" party, will join the mission. Catala stressed how important it was to end the blockade and send aid, especially to the children of Gaza. He also said that any attempt to stop the mission would be another breach of international law.
Six weeks ago, in June, the Maddalena tried to make a similar trip but was stopped by Israeli troops about 185 km off the coast of Gaza. Twelve protestors were on that ship, including Greta Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a European MP who was arrested after the ship was sunk.
Humanitarian groups say that since the fighting started on October 7, 2023, over 196,000 Palestinians have been killed or hurt in Gaza. More than 10,000 people are still missing, and hundreds of thousands have been forced to leave their homes because of what Palestinian leaders call a U.S.-backed murder operation.
