Rome, MINA – The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) announced today, Monday that a new aid vessel, the Handala, is set to depart from Italy next week. Its mission: to “break Israel’s illegal blockade” on the Gaza Strip.
The FFC stated the ship will set sail on July 13, carrying vital humanitarian aid and a “message of solidarity from people around the world who refuse to remain silent as Gaza starves, is bombed, and buried under rubble,” as reported by Quds News.
This upcoming mission comes just weeks after an Israeli operation against the Madleen vessel.
In that incident, twelve unarmed civilians, including a Member of European Parliament, a doctor, journalists, and human rights advocates, were reportedly abducted by Israeli commandos and taken to Israel without their consent. There, they were interrogated, tortured, and deported.
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“Their crime? They were only trying to bring food, medicine, and solidarity to besieged Palestinians,” the FFC asserted.
The Handala is part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an international grassroots network that has been actively challenging the Israeli blockade since 2010.
On board the vessel will be a diverse group of volunteer medics, lawyers, social justice activists, journalists, and community organizers.
“We are not governments. We are people, taking action where institutions have failed,” the FFC declared.
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The ship is named after Handala, the renowned political cartoon character created by Naji Al-Ali. Handala, a ten-year-old Palestinian refugee boy, symbolizes defiance and has vowed not to turn his back until Palestine is free.
“This ship carries his spirit, and the spirit of every child in Gaza who has lost their safety, dignity, and happiness. In 2023 and 2024, the ‘Handala’ has sailed to ports across northern Europe and the UK, breaking through blockades, engaging the public, and building solidarity through press events, art installations, and political education at every port it visited,” The FFC added. [Shibgho]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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