Latest news with #Handala
Middle East Eye
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Greta Thunberg says she will join new civilian flotilla going to Gaza to deliver aid
Greta Thunberg will be joining a new multi-vessel flotilla on 31 August that plans to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, she announced on Instagram on Sunday. The Swedish activist will join a fleet comprising dozens of boats called the Global Sumud Flotilla. This will be the third attempt by international activists to deliver aid to Gaza. Two previous attempts were derailed in international waters by Israel. Thunberg was one of 12 activists on board the Madleen, which tried to break the blockade in June. Activists on the Handala tried to do the same in July. The activists were unlawfully detained and taken to Israel, including US labour organiser Chris Smalls, who spoke about being physically assaulted by Israeli soldiers and being held in an Israeli prison for five days.
Middle East Eye
4 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
‘They used my chain to choke me': Chris Smalls speaks out after Israeli prison assault
'What I experienced is a glimpse of what Palestinians have to go through.' Prominent labour activist Chris Smalls speaks out after returning to his home in the United States following his detention in an Israeli prison. Weeks ago, Smalls decided to join the Handala flotilla, which sailed towards Gaza in an attempt to break Israel's siege. Now, after Israeli forces intercepted the ship in international waters, Smalls says he was singled out, violently assaulted and racially abused by Israeli forces. Following his return home, Smalls joined us on Real Talk to open up about what really happened. Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form . More about MEE can be found here .
Al Jazeera
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
From Amazon to the Gaza flotilla – the journey of an activist
Labour activist Chris Smalls is back in the US after imprisonment and abuse by Israeli forces for joining the Handala Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. He tells us about his time in detention, the silence from the US, and what the flotilla movement means for worldwide solidarity with Palestinians facing genocide.
Ya Biladi
02-08-2025
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
El Bakkali praises Moroccan diplomats in Israel for swift support after detention
On July 27, Israeli authorities released Moroccan journalist Mohamed El Bakkali, who had been aboard the humanitarian vessel Handala en route to Gaza. Upon his return to Morocco, El Bakkali expressed surprise at the swift and proactive efforts of the Moroccan liaison office in Tel Aviv, as he shared in an interview with Moroccan media outlet. «Upon my arrival in Israel, I was met by Abdelrrahim Bayoud, head of the Moroccan mission in Tel Aviv, along with the consul, Mrs. Khadija (whose surname escapes me). This is a moment for the history books», he said. The Al Jazeera journalist noted that Moroccan diplomats were significantly more engaged than their counterparts from other countries with nationals aboard the Handala, which was intercepted by the Israeli navy in the Mediterranean on July 26. «I say this with utmost sincerity. I thank them, as well as the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for their decisive action», he said. It is worth recalling that El Bakkali had previously issued a video plea addressed to the «authorities of [his] country, Morocco», urging them to intervene and secure his release from Israeli custody. The interception of the Handala as it sailed toward Gaza prompted widespread calls for Moroccan diplomatic intervention on behalf of the journalist.
Sky News AU
01-08-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Aussie activists ‘psychologically brutalised' by Israeli soldiers
A pair of Aussie activists have touched down in Sydney after they spent several weeks in Israeli Defence Forces custody after a failed mission to supply food and aid to the starving people of Gaza. Journalist and filmmaker Tan Safi and activist Robert Martin were part of a 21-strong crew that set sail aboard the 'Handala' as part of a humanitarian mission. Since Israel began military operations in Gaza in October 2023, 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in a campaign that prominent Israeli humanitarian organisations labelled as 'genocide' on Monday. While speaking to the media at Sydney Airport on Friday morning, the pair said they were 'psychologically brutalised' by their captors. 'We were in international waters at the time, and we were taken completely against our will and just brutalised psychologically in every way,' Safi said. 'We were on a hunger and water strike, but the only time they offered food was once and it was a tomato about (the size of a golf ball),' she said. In a video published on Sunday, Safi said she had been 'abducted' by the Israeli military, and urged supporters to 'put pressure on the Australian government to sanction Israel'. The Freedom Flotilla departed from Syracuse, Italy, on July 13, fully equipped with humanitarian supplies, en route to Gaza. Free Gaza Australia, the Australian branch of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) that organised the expedition, said the cargo of the Handala 'carried desperately needed lifesaving humanitarian cargo, including baby formula, food, and medical supplies, to the Palestinian people in Gaza'. At about midnight on July 26, the Handala was intercepted by the Israeli military about 80km miles off the coast of Gaza – an area that is considered to be international waters. Footage shows the moment Israeli troops boarded the flotilla, brandishing assault weapons and pointing them in the direction of flotilla activists who sat in the middle of their ship with hands outstretched. The crew had agreed before their arrest they would engage in a hunger strike in solidarity with Palestinians. Every crew member has now been deported to their country of residence or are in the process of repatriation. In a social media post on Friday morning, Free Gaza Australia said plans were already under way for another expedition to Palestine. 'Robert and Tan are home and we're already preparing the next Freedom Flotilla boat to break the siege of Gaza. We sail until Palestine is free,' it said. Allegations have also surfaced of other Freedom Flotilla crew members being abused by IDF soldiers. The FFC said US crew member Chris Smalls was beaten, kicked and choked by at least seven IDF soldiers as he and the other crew members were being detained in the only physical display of brutality catalogued by members of the Flotilla. Among the activists was Greta Thunberg, who has since been sent back to Sweden by Israeli authorities. Originally published as Aussie activists 'psychologically brutalised' by Israeli soldiers
