Activist ship Handala sails from Italy to Gaza
On Sunday, the international activist ship Handala set sail from the Italian port of Gallipoli en route to the Gaza Strip, in a symbolic attempt to break the Israeli blockade.
After departing from Syracuse, Sicily, on July 13 and stopping in Gallipoli, the ship carries international volunteers, including activists, medics, lawyers, and parliamentarians. Organizers describe the mission as peaceful and emphasize that it aims to highlight the severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
European Parliament member Emma Fourreau told Al Jazeera that the mission reflects growing international outrage, accusing the European Parliament of complicity in the siege and destruction of Gaza. 'Netanyahu and his government are responsible for the suffering in Gaza,' she added.
The ship is named after Handala, an iconic cartoon character created by the Palestinian cartoonist Naji al-Ali in 1969. Handala is consistently depicted as a barefoot, ragged boy with his back to the viewer and his hands clasped behind him, a posture he maintains because he famously vowed not to show his face until Palestine is free. This distinctive stance symbolizes his refusal to acknowledge a world that has turned its back on the Palestinian people.
The initiative is part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a network of pro-Palestinian organizations that has launched several maritime missions over the past decade in defiance of Israeli naval restrictions.
Prior to the Handala, the coalition launched at least two other vessels toward Gaza this year: the Conscience in May, which reportedly suffered a drone attack off Malta and was forced to abort its mission, and the Madeleine in June, which was intercepted in international waters by Israeli forces. The Madeleine, which carried humanitarian supplies and prominent activists including Greta Thunberg, had its crew detained and deported.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Shafaq News
2 hours ago
- Shafaq News
Houthis strike Israel with drones after Red Sea port bombing
Shafaq News – Sanaa Yemen's Houthis (Ansarallah) announced Monday it had launched a series of drone attacks on multiple targets inside Israel, including airports and port facilities, in retaliation for Israeli airstrikes on Yemen's Red Sea port of al-Hudaydah. Houthi military spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree stated that the operation involved five drones and successfully struck Ben Gurion Airport, Ramon Airport, a key facility in the port city of Ashdod, a military site in Jaffa, and the port of Eilat (Umm al-Rashrash). 'The operation was a direct response to Israel's recent aggression against the port of al-Hudaydah,' Saree said, adding that the drones 'successfully achieved their targets.' #معركة_الفتح_الموعود_والجهاد_المقدس — أمين حيان Ameen Hayyan (@AminHian) July 21, 2025 Earlier today, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed that the Israeli Air Force had carried out strikes on Houthi infrastructure. The Israeli military stated that the strikes targeted "military installations" used by the Houthis. The Israeli army also reported intercepting a drone believed to have been launched from Yemen. No alarms were activated under standard protocol.
Shafaq News
2 hours ago
- Shafaq News
First call with Palestinian President: Pope urges protection of civilians
Shafaq News – Vatican City On Monday, Pope Leo XIV held a phone call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, stressing the urgent need to protect civilians and uphold international humanitarian standards, according to the Vatican. During the conversation, the Pope underscored the obligation to preserve sacred sites, prevent indiscriminate violence, and reject the forced displacement of Palestinians. The Vatican said the "Holy Father" also voiced concern over the worsening humanitarian crisis and called for swift, unhindered access to aid for those most at risk. In a symbolic note, he recalled the tenth anniversary of the Comprehensive Agreement between the "Holy See" and the State of Palestine—signed in 2015 and in force since 2016—reaffirming the Vatican's commitment to a just peace. This latest appeal follows Pope Leo's recent call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on July 20, during which he urged an immediate ceasefire and condemned the war's 'barbarism,' calling for a peaceful resolution.
Shafaq News
4 hours ago
- Shafaq News
25 nations demand Gaza ceasefire: Israeli war must end now
Shafaq News – Brussels Twenty-five foreign ministers and a senior EU official, in a rare joint statement on Monday, called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, condemning the escalating humanitarian crisis. 'The war in Gaza must end now,' read the declaration, endorsed by top diplomats from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The ministers decried the rising civilian death toll and the collapse of essential services in Gaza, warning that Israel's restricted aid flow and lethal attacks on civilians seeking food and water 'fuel instability and strip Gazans of their dignity.' Citing over 800 Palestinian deaths while attempting to access aid, the group condemned Israel's blockade as a clear breach of international law, urging immediate, unrestricted access for UN agencies and humanitarian organizations. They rejected proposals to transfer civilians into so-called 'humanitarian cities,' denouncing such plans as both unlawful and inhumane, while warning that ongoing settlement expansion, including the E1 project, would destroy the viability of a future Palestinian state and dismantle the possibility of a two-state solution. Calling for the unconditional release of hostages taken by Hamas since October 7, 2023, the ministers backed mediation by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt, emphasizing that only a negotiated ceasefire can end the hostages' ordeal and unlock a political resolution.
