Gaza, MINA – Communications have been restored with the Handala, a humanitarian vessel headed toward Gaza, after a two-hour outage raised fears of an Israeli drone attack, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) reported early Friday.
The Handala, which departed from Gallipoli, Italy, is carrying humanitarian aid aimed at breaking Israel’s longstanding naval blockade of Gaza. During the communications blackout, drones were spotted near the vessel, prompting serious concern for the safety of the 21 international activists on board.
“This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this kind of interference,” said Tan Safi, one of the activists on board. She confirmed via video message that the Wi-Fi had returned but noted they were unaware of a global Starlink satellite outage at the time. “It feels unusual considering the timing and the context,” she added, also referencing previous cooperation between Starlink owner Elon Musk and Israeli authorities.
The FFC had earlier issued a global call for supporters to monitor the situation and pressure governments to help lift the “illegal siege on Gaza.” The group cited past attacks on similar aid missions, including a drone strike on the MV Conscience in May and the June seizure of the Madlene, during which Israeli forces detained 12 peace activists.
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Just before departing Italy, the Handala had already faced suspected sabotage. A rope was discovered tightly wound around its propeller, and a truck delivering what was supposed to be fresh water was found to be carrying sulfuric acid instead.
Former UN staff member and scientist Chloe Ludden, who resigned from her position in protest of UN inaction, is among the volunteers on the mission. “This mission stands for human dignity and international law,” she said in a statement shared by the FFC.
The Handala is sailing against the backdrop of an unfolding humanitarian disaster in Gaza. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 115 people have died of famine-related causes. Meanwhile, over 1,000 Palestinians seeking aid have reportedly been shot dead by Israeli forces near distribution points since May. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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