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Campaign group says Israeli military drones seen over aid ship approaching Gaza
We have previously reported on the Handala ship, which is carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza as part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s (FFC) mission to break Israel’s blockade.
The International Committee to Break the Siege of Gaza, a Palestinian campaign group, has now reported that 16 Israeli military drones were spotted near the vessel over a 45-minute period overnight.
It is the latest FFC vessel attempting to break Israel’s Gaza blockade, after the Israeli military intercepted the Madleen ship and arrested the activists on board on June 9.
The Handala departed from the port of Syracuse in Italy on July 13, carrying activists and medics. As of 9am Gaza time (06:00 GMT), the Handala’s live location showed the ship is off the coast of Egypt in international waters and approaching the spot in which the Madleen was intercepted.
Handala crew preparing for possibility of Israeli forces storming aid ship
An activist on board the Handala, a ship carrying aid to Gaza to break Israel’s blockade, says the crew are preparing themselves for the possibility of Israeli forces storming the vessel.
Jacob Berger, an actor from the US, made the comments to our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic from on board the Handala, which set sail from Gallipoli, Italy on Sunday. The ship is currently off the coast of Egypt in international waters on its route to Gaza.
The Handala is the latest ship sent by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) in its mission to break Israel’s Gaza blockade. The FFC’s previous mission ended when its ship, the Madleen, was intercepted by the Israeli military, who boarded the vessel and arrested the activists on board on June 9.
The Handala’s live location tracker shows it is nearing the area where the Madleen was intercepted by Israel. Earlier, we reported that 16 Israeli military drones were spotted flying near the vessel overnight.
Israeli drone circling Gaza-bound vessel Handala: Activists
Activists with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition say an Israeli Heron drone has been “actively circling” the ship, which is trying to bring desperately needed aid to the Gaza Strip.
The Handala vessel is 90 nautical miles (167km) from the Palestinian enclave, the coalition said in a post on X, which is beyond the point where a previous Gaza-bound vessel called the Madleen was intercepted by Israeli forces in June.
“We must demand immediate action for Gaza. Pressure your governments to stop enabling genocide and let the Handala proceed safely to Gaza,” the group said.
