'Freedom Flotilla' Launches New Mission to Gaza
In a statement shared on X, the coalition confirmed that its next boat, named 'Handala,' will depart from the Italian port of Siracusa on 13 July. 'The mission is for the children of Gaza,' the coalition declared, emphasizing the symbolic significance of the mission's name.
The vessel is named after Handala, the iconic cartoon figure of a 10-year-old boy created by Palestinian artist Naji al-Ali, widely recognized as a symbol of Palestinian resistance and steadfastness.
This announcement comes on the heels of the seizure of the 'Freedom Ship' (Madeleine) by Israeli forces at dawn on a Monday earlier this month. The ship, carrying humanitarian aid and international peace activists, was intercepted while sailing in international waters en route to Gaza in a bid to challenge Israel's 17-year-long blockade of the coastal enclave.
The 'Madeleine' had set sail in early June from the Italian port of Catania, carrying 12 international activists, including Al Jazeera Mubasher journalist Omar Fayyad. On board were critical supplies of food, medicine, and medical equipment intended for civilians in Gaza who have been enduring one of the world's worst humanitarian catastrophes.
The Israeli military later confirmed that the ship had been seized and transferred to one of its ports, in what human rights advocates have condemned as a violation of international maritime law.
This was not the coalition's first attempt to defy Israel's naval blockade. The 'Madeleine' was the 36th vessel launched as part of the Freedom Flotilla, an international civil society campaign that has sought to break the siege on Gaza since it began in 2007.
The vessel was named in honor of Madeleine Kulab, a young Palestinian woman who became the first female professional fisher in the Gaza Strip. She lost both her father and her livelihood in the wake of Israel's war on Gaza, which escalated drastically in October 2023. Her story has since become a powerful symbol of resilience under occupation and siege.
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