Latest news with #EmmaFourreau
Shafaq News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Activist ship Handala sails from Italy to Gaza
Shafaq News – Rome 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.
Al Bawaba
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
"Handala" Humanitarian ship departs from Italy toward Gaza amid ongoing blockade
ALBAWABA - A new Freedom Flotilla ship called Handala sailed from the port of Syracuse in Sicily, Italy, on Sunday. It was bringing relief aid and pro-Palestinian activists who want to break Israel's ban on Gaza. The plan comes after more than 21 months of terrible war and a humanitarian crisis in the coastal region. Dozens of people holding Palestinian flags and shouting "Free Palestine" cheered as about 15 activists got on board. The international Freedom Flotilla Coalition organizes and funds the project with gifts from people all over the world. The French leader of the fleet, Claude Léostik, said the mission was a show of international unity with the people of Gaza and a way to bring attention to their pain because they are under lockdown. On July 18, Handala will stop in Gallipoli, which is in the southeast of Italy. There, Gabrielle Catala and Emma Fourreau, two French MPs from the communist "La France Insoumise" party, will join the mission. Catala stressed how important it was to end the blockade and send aid, especially to the children of Gaza. He also said that any attempt to stop the mission would be another breach of international law. Six weeks ago, in June, the Maddalena tried to make a similar trip but was stopped by Israeli troops about 185 km off the coast of Gaza. Twelve protestors were on that ship, including Greta Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a European MP who was arrested after the ship was sunk. Humanitarian groups say that since the fighting started on October 7, 2023, over 196,000 Palestinians have been killed or hurt in Gaza. More than 10,000 people are still missing, and hundreds of thousands have been forced to leave their homes because of what Palestinian leaders call a U.S.-backed murder operation.
