Israeli Forces Hijack British-Flagged Aid Ship Bound for Starving Gaza

IQNA – Israeli occupation forces have intercepted and seized a British-flagged humanitarian vessel en route to Gaza, further deepening concerns over the regime’s use of blockade and force to choke aid to a starving population.

Israeli forces hijacked the Handala, an aid ship sailing under a British flag, as it attempted to deliver desperately needed humanitarian supplies to the besieged Gaza Strip.

According to Israeli media reports on Saturday, the ship departed from Italy carrying 21 unarmed activists—including members of parliament, healthcare workers, and volunteers—on a mission to break the Israeli regime’s near-total blockade of Gaza.

The ship’s crew reported seeing a drone hovering overhead before being approached by Israeli naval vessels. In response, they issued a distress signal. One of the passengers, human rights lawyer Huwaida Araf, said the crew made repeated attempts to contact the Israeli Navy but received no reply.

Emma Fourreau, a French member of the European Parliament traveling on the ship, later confirmed the vessel’s seizure. “The Israeli military is here,” she stated. Online footage showed the crew wearing life jackets and raising their hands in a clear attempt to show they posed no threat.

“End the genocide,” Fourreau urged, referring to Israel’s devastating war on Gaza, which began in October 2023. The ongoing campaign has not only resulted in relentless military onslaught but also in a tightened blockade that has blocked essential supplies—including food, water, and medicine—from entering the coastal territory.

Humanitarian agencies and rights groups have condemned the blockade as a deliberate strategy to starve the population, a policy often described as the “weaponization of hunger.” According to local health sources, over 120 people in Gaza—mostly children—have starved to death, with the majority of those deaths occurring in recent weeks.

Handala was carrying baby formula, food, and medical supplies, intended to reach civilians caught in the worsening humanitarian crisis.

This is not the first time the Israeli military has forcibly intercepted humanitarian ships. In June, another aid vessel carrying 12 well-known international activists was also hijacked while attempting to reach Gaza.

And in May, Israeli drones targeted a boat off the coast of Malta that carried Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and others who were attempting a similar mission.

The ongoing Israeli genocidal war on Gaza has claimed the lives of 59,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since October 2023.

Source: Agencies