Israeli forces intercepted the Gaza Aid Flotilla ship, the “Handala,” minutes before midnight local time on Saturday and took the 20 passengers on board captive, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.
The humanitarians and journalists on the ship – including Amazon Labor Union founder Christian Smalls, French-Swedish politician and European Parliament member Emma Fourreau, and Jewish-American actor Jacob Berger – sought to deliver aid to Gaza, after two other recent efforts had been stopped by Israeli attacks.
“’Handala’ has been intercepted and boarded illegally by Israeli forces whilst in international waters,” the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said, as images showed Israeli soldiers boarding the ship, and the passengers sitting with their hands up.
Photo via the Freedom Flotilla Coalition
The vessel was carrying baby formula, diapers, medicine, and food to Gaza, where some 2 million Palestinians have suffered from Israeli-imposed starvation, malnutrition, and deprivation of essential needs.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment.
Conditions in Gaza have dramatically worsened in recent weeks. More than 125 Palestinians, including over 80 children, have died from malnutrition, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Last week, Alex de Waal, executive director of the World Peace Foundation at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, said that Israel’s behavior in Gaza constitutes a meticulously planned campaign of mass starvation.
“I’ve been working on this topic for more than four decades, and there is no case since World War II of starvation that is being so minutely designed and controlled,” de Waal told Al Jazeera.
“This is preventable starvation. It is entirely man-made,” de Waal added. “And every stage of this has been predicted, and at every stage action could have been taken—by Israel, by the international authorities, [the] international community, those who back Israel—to prevent what is happening now… Those steps have simply not been taken.”
Israeli forces have killed over 1,000 people seeking aid at so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid sites. Victims, US contractors, and Israeli soldiers have all attested to the notion that Israeli forces have deliberately shot at the aid seekers.
The 20 people aboard the Handala, and their nationalities:
Ange Sahuquet – France
Braedon Peluso – United States
Christian (Chris) Smalls – United States
Huwaida Arraf – United States (and Palestinian/Israel)
Jacob Berger – United States
Justine Kempf – France
Robert Martin – Australia
Vigdis (Vigidis) Bjorvand – Norway
Chloé Fiona Ludden – United Kingdom/France
Antonio Mazzeo – Italy
Antonio La Picirella – Italy
Tan Safi – Australia
Hatem Aouini – Tunisia
Gabrielle Cathala – France
Emma Fourreau – France/Sweden
Frank Romano – United States/France
Bob (Suberi) Suberi – United States
Santiago González Vallejo – Spain
Al Jazeera journalist Mohamed El Bakkali – Morocco
Al Jazeera journalist Waad Al Musa – Iraq/United States
The “Handala” ship is named for the well-known cartoon figure that symbolizes the Palestinian people, their struggle, and resistance to Israel’s occupation.
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