A month and a half after the "Madleen", this new boat will in turn attempt to reach the Palestinian enclave.
Another attempt for the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. The Handala, a humanitarian ship of this non-violent international movement supporting Palestinians, left the port of Gallipoli, in southern Italy, late Sunday morning, July 20th, headed for Gaza. Eighteen people are on board, including activists, journalists, and elected officials from La France insoumise, attempting to reach the Palestinian enclave, which is facing a disastrous humanitarian situation after more than 20 months of war.
This departure comes seven weeks after that of the Madleen, another ship that left Italy on June 1st to "break the Israeli blockade" in Gaza, which had been intercepted by the Israeli army. The sailboat then had 12 passengers on board, including environmental activist Greta Thunberg, and LFI MEP Rima Hassan, who had been detained for three days after the ship's interception, approximately 185 kilometers west of the Gaza coast.
"The boats must continue to depart, it's a moral obligation"
"The Madleen failed because it did not reach the Gazan coast, however, on the operation, it succeeded because for two weeks, there was more talk about the genocide in Gaza and the media focused more on the issue," argues on franceinfo the LFI deputy Gabrielle Cathala, who will be on board the Handala. "As long as a boat doesn't reach the Palestinian coast, the boats must continue to depart, it's a moral obligation, an international obligation," adds the elected official. "We are leaving in the hope of soon embracing our Palestinian brothers and sisters in Gaza," wrote on X LFI MEP Emma Fourreau, also on the boat.
Built in the late 1960s, the Handala was originally a Norwegian fishing vessel. Eighteen meters long, it was bought in 2023 by the Freedom Flotilla. Converted into a solidarity boat for Gaza, it sails through European ports for humanitarian actions in favor of the populations of the Palestinian enclave. It has already made stops in Scotland, Wales, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and also France.
Source: Franceinfo.fr, 20/07/25