Israeli Navy intercepts Gaza-bound protest ship, detains crew

The Israeli Navy intercepted and boarded the vessel Handala late on Saturday night, preventing it from entering the maritime zone off the coast of Gaza, according to an official statement from the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

Authorities said the operation was conducted safely and confirmed that all passengers aboard the vessel—which had departed from Syracuse, Italy, on July 13—were unharmed.

The ship was towed to the port of Ashdod in southern Israel and the activists were set to be deported.

“The Israeli Navy has stopped the vessel Navarn from illegally entering the maritime zone off the coast of Gaza. The vessel is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. All passengers are safe. Unauthorized attempts to breach the blockade are dangerous, unlawful, and undermine ongoing humanitarian efforts,” the statement read.

Navarn is the ship’s registry name.

The ship, organized by pro-Palestinian activists as part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was carrying humanitarian aid and aimed to break the longstanding Israeli naval blockade of Gaza. The vessel is named Handala, referencing the cartoon character of a refugee child who has become a symbol of the Palestinian cause throughout the Arab world.

According to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, 21 people from 12 countries were onboard—19 activists and two Al Jazeera journalists.

Activists on board included individuals from various countries, among them lawyers, journalists and human rights advocates. As Israeli naval forces approached, participants reported drones circling overhead and subsequently lost communication once the navy took control.

The ministry emphasized that unauthorized attempts to breach the blockade are unlawful and endanger both passengers and ongoing humanitarian operations in the region. In contrast, Freedom Flotilla organizers maintained that the interception occurred in international waters and labeled the blockade a violation of international law, a charge Jerusalem rejects, asserting that Israel’s blockade of Gaza is legal under international law, and that the Gaza maritime zone is an active conflict area, which Hamas terrorists have previously exploited for attacks, including the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre.

This incident follows two previous flotilla attempts that drew international attention. The first involved the “celebrity ship” Madleen, which featured climate activist Greta Thunberg aboard. The second featured the vessel Mizfon, intercepted in early May after sustaining unclear damage near Malta’s coastline; activists aboard Mizfon accused Israel of carrying out an aerial assault.