Photo of Handala boat with Palestine flags. Quoted text: The Freedom Flotilla is setting sail again. Handala to break the blockade for the children of Gaza. Read more on next four tiles.
Siracusa, Italy - On July 13, 2025, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) will launch 'Handala' - a civilian boat setting out to challenge Israel's illegal, deadly blockade of Gaza. The vessel will carry life-saving humanitarian aid and a message of solidarity from people around the world refusing to stay silent as Gaza is starved, bombed, and buried under rubble. This mission comes just weeks after Israel's illegal attack on the 'Madleen', another Freedom Flotilla boat illegally seized by Israel in international waters. Twelve unarmed civilians - including a Member of the European Parliament, a doctor, journalists, and human rights defenders - were abducted by Israeli commandos and taken against their will to Israel, where they were interrogated, abused, then deported. Their "crime"? Attempting to bring food, medicine, and solidarity to Palestinians under siege.
We are not backing down. The 'Handala' launches in the shadow of ongoing mass atrocities. Since March 18, 2025 - when Israel broke the ceasefire and resumed attacks on Gaza - at least 6,572 Palestinians have been killed and over 23,000 injured, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Among them, over 700 gunned down as they waited for food at distribution points controlled by the U.S. - and Israel-backed "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation" (GHF) - a death trap masquerading as an aid scheme; a structure of control and cruelty serving Israel's genocide. The 'Handala' is part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a grassroots international network that has been sailing against the blockade since 2010. On board will be volunteer medics, lawyers, social justice activists, journalists, and community organizers. We are not governments. We are people, taking action where institutions have failed.
For the children of Gaza. Named after the Palestinian cartoon figure 'Handala' - a barefoot refugee child who turned his back on injustice and vowed not to turn around until Palestine is free - this boat carries his spirit, and that of every child in Gaza who has been denied safety, dignity, and joy. In 2023 and 2024, 'Handala' sailed to ports across northern Europe and the UK, breaking through the media blockade, engaging the public, and building solidarity through press events, art installations, and political education in every port it visited.
We are setting sail again. On July 13, 2025 our boat #Handala will depart from Siracusa, Italy to break Israel’s illegal blockade. This mission is for the children of Gaza.
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