More than thirty-six hours after their arrest, the passengers of the Handala know a little more about their fate. Boarded in international waters, north of Egypt, by the Israeli army while attempting to reach Gaza and break the humanitarian blockade, the 19 pro-Palestinian activists and the two journalists on board the Norwegian trawler had been taken to the port of Ashdod, on Israel's southwest coast.
As had been offered to the passengers of the Madleen, the previous Freedom Flotilla boat arrested in June on which French MEP Rima Hassan was present, the passengers were offered to sign a "voluntary expulsion," a document attesting to illegal entry into Israeli territory. "Several people agreed to sign this infamous paper so they could testify as quickly as possible, the French spokeswoman for the Freedom Flotilla, Claude Léostic, told Libération. The decision was made between them before their arrest." According to the NGO Adalah, in charge of defending the activists, and the Freedom Flotilla, three activists, including the French LFI MP Gabrielle Cathala and the two Al-Jazeera journalists Mohamed El Bakkali and Waad Al Musa, are expected to leave the country today. The LFI elected official is expected to arrive in Paris this Monday, July 28, in the evening.
"Protest against their forced detention"
The other arrested activists, who refused the agreement and are mostly detained in Givon prison, were brought before a court to examine their continued detention this Monday afternoon, according to Adalah's statement. Among them are four French nationals: LFI European elected official Emma Fourreau, Chloé Fiona Ludden, Ange Sahuquet, and nurse Justine Kempf. "Adalah emphasizes that the continued detention of these civilian activists, who were forcibly arrested in international waters, constitutes a serious violation of international law," adds the NGO, which demands their release. While the French spokeswoman for the flotilla, Claude Léostic, did not initially report any mistreatment, one of the passengers, Chris Smalls, who founded the first Amazon union in the United States, "reported serious physical violence committed by Israeli forces" before the court, according to an Adalah statement.
Other activists described similar abuses, criticizing "deplorable detention conditions, including a lack of ventilation despite extreme heat and the absence of basic hygiene products for women." Also according to the same statement, "several volunteers reported that Israeli authorities had exerted strong pressure on them yesterday, forcing them to waive their right to meet with a lawyer." The activists have been on a hunger strike since their arrest. Two activists with Israeli nationality, Huwaida Arraf and Bob Suberi, were released this Monday after being questioned by the country's police.
Broadcast live by the Freedom Flotilla on YouTube on July 26, the boarding of the Handala was strongly condemned by pro-Palestinian activists, as the boat was located in international waters on marine tracking sites, as well as on that of the pro-Palestinian movement. "Netanyahu has all the rights: genocide, war crimes, child killings, kidnapping, the LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon posted on X this Monday. The courage and honor lie in resisting him, as these two women [the French elected officials Gabrielle Cathala and Emma Fourreau, editor's note] and their crew are doing." The triple presidential candidate took the opportunity to denounce the French government's silence since the boat's boarding. In France, apart from La France insoumise and the tweet of support published this Monday by the national secretary of the Ecologists, Marine Tondelier, calling for the release of the two elected officials, the political class has been relatively silent since Saturday. Before the boat's departure, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot had called the initiative "irresponsible" on X.
Confiscated by Israeli authorities, the Navarn, renamed Handala by the organization, was taken to Ashdod port along with the 800 kilograms of humanitarian aid it was carrying. "We reserve the right to file a complaint for the theft of the boat and its cargo," says the French spokeswoman for the Flotilla. Nearly two months after its arrest, the Madleen has still not been returned to the organization and remains in Ashdod port. In fifteen years, only three of the 37 boats sent to Gaza by the Freedom Flotilla have been recovered. The others have been "destroyed or sold," according to Claude Léostic.
Source: Libération, 28/07/25