The Handala boat, 37th mission in 18 years of the Freedom Flotilla, approaches the waters of Gaza, triggering the block of Israeli maritime safety in the evening, with the unit of the Shayetet 13 Navy from the port of Haifa to intercept it. “The IDF imposes the block of maritime security on the Gaza strip and is prepared to face a series of scenarios,” said the army by adding to wait for “political decisions” to act.
On board the 21 activists of 10 nationalities of the Pro -Palestinese NGO, including two Italians, await the inexorable trap of the interception and arrest by the IDF, in which they voluntarily put on and alone, doing – here the accusation of the NGO – the one that “should do the international community”.
The 21 activists announce that, when the arrest will start, they will collectively make a hunger strike, not only to protest against Israel and the “genocide” of Gaza, but directed “to the governments of the world who have failed to defend international law”, who “have abandoned the Palestinians” and “disappointed humanity”, asking that they are “declared responsible”, as a dramatic post of the same On X.
The Handala asks the governments of the 10 countries of origin “Protection and a saving for their citizens on board”, which “are doing what governments should do”, that is: to bring humanitarian aid to “break the illegal siege of Israel on Gaza”.
On board there are also the Italian skipper Tony La Piccirella, Bari, and the Sicilian blogger Antonio Mazzeo. “If they stop us – says Piccirella, achieved by phone from Ansa – it will be because governments have not protected the mission and have allowed illegal action in international waters in violation of all international rights and laws. If they take us to Ashdod, it will be against our will, we will have seized, with the IDF that will take control of the boat in the armed military form “.
Former Norwegian fishing boat, Handala started on July 13 from Syracuse, making a stop on 18 in Gallipoli, Puglia, where he also embarked two French activists with a symbolic load of food, medicines as well as milk powder and toys for the children of Gaza. The boat exceeded the point whose last June 9 was intercepted and brought to Ashdod’s Israeli port the previous mission of the Flotilla, the Madleen sailing boat with the MEP Hassan on board and, above all the Swedish climatic activist Greta Thunberg, defined as “anti -Semitic” by the Israeli defense minister, Israel Katz. «We – says Piccirella – we are only certain of our intentions.
We are 21: there are doctors, nurses, journalists, human rights activists. It is a varied group, with people who also come from the United States, Canada, France and Tunisia ».