Foreign activists launch hunger strike after Israeli seizure of Gaza aid ship
ALBAWABA- Foreign activists detained by Israel after their Gaza-bound aid ship was seized have launched an open-ended hunger strike in protest, according to the Adalah Legal Center.
The ship, Handala, carrying essential humanitarian supplies, including baby formula, food, and medicine, was intercepted by Israeli forces off the Gaza coast on Saturday night. On board were 21 unarmed civilians, including lawmakers, healthcare workers, and volunteers from various countries.
In a statement issued Monday, and reported by Anadolu News, Adalah confirmed that most of the detainees are refusing food to protest what they describe as unlawful detention.
"The continued detention of these civilian activists, who were forcibly taken from international waters, constitutes a grave violation of international law," the organization stated, demanding their immediate release ahead of court hearings scheduled the same day at Givon Prison in Ramla, central Israel.
🚢 Foreign activists aboard a Gaza aid ship seized by Israel launch an open-ended hunger strike to protest their detention
➡️ The Handala ship, carrying baby formula, food, and medicine, was intercepted near Gaza with 21 civilians on board https://t.co/rD9bFJt5FZ pic.twitter.com/65Qk1K0Cx6 — Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) July 28, 2025
Adalah also reported that five of the detainees have either been deported or are expected to be deported imminently.
The Handala was launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) from Italy in an effort to break Israel's months-long blockade of Gaza, where 2.4 million residents are facing a deepening famine.
The mission is the latest in a series of humanitarian flotillas intercepted by Israel in international waters. In June, Israeli forces seized the ship Madleen, detaining 12 international activists, including prominent climate activist Greta Thunberg and French Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan.
In May, the MV Conscience was attacked by drones near Malta. Israel has maintained an 18-year blockade on Gaza and has fully sealed all crossings since March 2, 2025, blocking humanitarian convoys despite urgent international appeals. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, at least 147 Palestinians, 88 of them children, have died of starvation since October 2023. Also Read Israeli forces intercept activist ship ' Handala ' near Gaza
Meanwhile, Israel's military offensive on Gaza, launched on October 7, 2023, has killed nearly 60,000 people, most of them women and children, and left much of the enclave in ruins.
The siege has sparked global outrage and led to growing legal pressure on Israel. In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Separately, Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.
As hunger and despair mount, the hunger strike by detained foreign activists draws renewed international attention to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, and the mounting legal and moral scrutiny facing Israel.
© 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Bawaba
17 minutes ago
- Al Bawaba
Netanyahu eyes full Gaza takeover amid soaring famine and death toll
ALBAWABA- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly considering a full military takeover of the Gaza Strip for the first time in nearly two decades, as mediation efforts with Hamas collapse and international calls for a ceasefire continue to grow. According to Israeli media reports, Netanyahu was set to meet with Defense Minister Israel Katz, Military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer on Tuesday to finalize a new strategy in Israel's ongoing 22-month war in Gaza. The decision, sources say, would be presented to the cabinet later this week. Channel 12 cited an official from Netanyahu's office saying the prime minister is leaning toward complete territorial control of Gaza. Such a move would reverse Israel's 2005 disengagement, when settlers and military were withdrawn while border control was maintained. Right-wing Israeli factions have long criticized that withdrawal as paving the way for Hamas to gain control of the enclave. While it remains unclear whether Netanyahu envisions a long-term occupation or a temporary operation to dismantle Hamas and recover hostages, his office has not yet commented on the Channel 12 report. A senior Palestinian official speculated the announcement may be a pressure tactic, while the Palestinian Foreign Ministry urged the international community to respond urgently and treat the reports as serious threats. 'These leaks must be taken with utmost seriousness, whether they are intended to exert pressure, test international reactions, or are actual policy,' the ministry warned. The move comes as the humanitarian situation in Gaza worsens. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, eight more people died from starvation or malnutrition in the past 24 hours, and 79 others were killed by ongoing Israeli strikes. Since October 2023, the war has claimed more than 61,000 lives, mostly civilians, according to Palestinian health officials. Israel's war effort has taken a heavy toll on its own military, which has repeatedly mobilized reservists to sustain operations. The Israeli military leadership has reportedly resisted the idea of full reoccupation, citing long-term sustainability concerns. However, Netanyahu faces mounting pressure from within his own far-right coalition, which includes ministers who openly call for the annexation of Gaza and the West Bank, and for Palestinian expulsion. In a public challenge on X, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called on military chief Zamir to declare that he would obey government orders if a full takeover is ordered. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar defended the military's right to provide professional opinions, while Defense Minister Gallant insisted that any approved policy would be implemented. 'Defeating Hamas and securing the return of the hostages are the central goals of the war in Gaza,' Gallant said. 'All necessary actions must be taken to achieve them.'
Jordan Times
4 hours ago
- Jordan Times
Israel to partially reopen Gaza private goods trade
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — Israel will partially reopen private sector trade with Gaza to reduce its reliance on humanitarian aid, the defence ministry civil affairs agency for the Palestinian territories said on Tuesday. "As part of formulating the mechanism, a limited number of local merchants were approved by the defence establishment, subject to several criteria and strict security screening," COGAT said. Israel has been fighting Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza for 22 months and imposed a total blockade on March 2, partially lifted in May to allow a US-backed private agency to open food distribution centres. Aid convoys and airdrops by Arab and European militaries resumed last month, as UN-mandated expert reports warned famine was unfolding in the war-torn territory. The COGAT statement said private sector deliveries would be paid for by monitored bank transfers and be subject to inspections by the Israeli military before entering Gaza, "to prevent the involvement of the Hamas terrorist organisation". Permitted goods under the new mechanism will include food staples, fruit, vegetables, baby formula and hygiene products, COGAT said. The agency said more than 300 aid trucks entered Gaza on Monday, a larger number than in previous days, and that hundreds more were "still queued up for UN pickup". In addition, 120 pallets of aid were airdropped in cooperation with Belgium, Canada, Egypt, Germany, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, it added. Hamas contested the figures, saying that only 95 aid trucks entered Gaza on Monday and that the majority of them were looted amid a "deliberate state of security chaos instigated by [Israel]". The United Nations estimates that between 500 and 600 truckloads of aid a day are needed to meet the needs of Gaza's more than two million inhabitants.
Jordan Times
6 hours ago
- Jordan Times
Prime minister to introduce ‘major' reshuffle to his Cabinet Wednesday
AMMAN — Prime Minister Jafar Hassan is scheduled to introduce a major reshuffle to his Cabinet on Wednesday, the first since the government took office in September last year. The prime minister's office said the reshuffle will be broad, affecting nearly one-third of the ministerial team and half of the modernisation team. The office said that the reshuffle aims to support the government with new capabilities, build on achievements and keep pace with the speed required to implement modernisation projects. The government is currently preparing to launch the second executive programme of the vision, it said.
