courtesy Freedom Flotilla Coalition via BERNAMA
ISTANBUL: The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) says it has lost contact with the Handala, a ship carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza as part of the group's mission to break Israel's blockade.
"All communications with the Handala’s crew have been jammed,” the coalition said in a statement posted on its official Telegram channel on Thursday (July 24).
"We lost all contact with our crew, and there are multiple drones near the vessel ... which means that they could have been intercepted or attacked.”
The coalition urged its supporters "to pressure for the safety of the crew”, calling on people to contact their representatives and local media to "pressure Israel to let the Handala go and guarantee a safe passage to Gaza”.
No other details were available regarding the ship’s precise location, the status of its crew, or confirmation of an Israeli intervention.
The incident follows previous confrontations.
On May 2, the MV Conscience, belonging to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and transporting aid to Gaza, was attacked by drones while in international waters near Malta, causing a fire and structural damage.
On June 9, Israel intercepted another aid ship, the Madlene, in international waters off the coast of Gaza, detaining and later deporting its 12 international activists, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and French Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan, under the condition that they do not attempt to return.
Israel has killed more than 59,500 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in the Gaza Strip since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, collapsed the health system, and led to severe food shortages. – Bernama-Anadolu
