IDF seizes control of ‘Handala’ ship attempting to break Gaza blockade, 21 activists to be deported

On Saturday night, Israeli naval forces took control of the activist ship “Handala,” which set sail from Italy earlier this month in an attempt to break the Gaza blockade. 

While the activists on board the ship had set up a live stream of several cameras on board the ship, the video stopped several moments after members of the naval special operations unit Shayetet 13 boarded the vessel. 

The 21 pro-Palestine activists aboard the ship were detained along with the vessel, with the Israeli Foreign Ministry releasing a statement saying, “All passengers are safe.” 

The statement by the Foreign Ministry referred to the ship by its original name, instead of the name given to the vessel by the activists. 

“The Israeli navy has stopped the vessel Navarn from illegally entering the maritime zone of the coast of Gaza,” the ministry’s statement read. “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 ministry stated. 

After detaining and boarding the boat, the Israeli navy began towing the vessel to Ashdod. 

An online tracking tool showed the Handala was intercepted closer to Gaza than the previous attempt by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the Madleen, which was carrying the well-known climate activist Greta Thunberg. That vessel was intercepted in June, about 185 kilometers (115 miles) from the coast of Gaza. The Handala was intercepted about 100 kilometers (62 miles) away from the Gaza coastline. 

As with the activists aboard the Madleen, the activists from the Handala are also expected to be deported within a few days. 

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition accused the IDF of attacking the Handala and abducting the activists, in its press release. 

“Israeli Military Attacks Handala in International Waters, Abducts 21 Unarmed Civilians,” the statement read. 

As with the previous incident, the Coalition claimed that the vessel was carrying, “baby formula, diapers, food, and medicine.” 

“All cargo was non-military, civilian, and intended for direct distribution to a population facing deliberate starvation and medical collapse under Israel’s illegal blockade,” the statement claimed. 

During the seizure of the Madleen, the Israeli authorities described the attempt to breach the blockade as a “publicity stunt,” noting that the amount of humanitarian supplies on board the ship was not even the equivalent of one aid truck. 

Over the past few days, following criticism by Israeli authorities, the UN and its partner NGOs resumed collection and distribution of aid pallets which had been sitting for days on the Gaza side of the border, after having been inspected by the IDF. 

The UN had accused Israel of blocking the entry of aid into Gaza, a charge which the IDF refuted. The military even brought some international journalists to view the accumulation of aid on the Gaza side of the border. 

Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) single handedly provided two-thirds of Gaza’s caloric needs since it began operating in Gaza on May 26, about 61 days ago.

2.1 million people times 61 days equals 128.1 million person-days; at an age-adjusted 1,900 calories per person per… https://t.co/qwislQD6e6

— dan linnaeus (@DanLinnaeus) July 26, 2025

Israel has been increasingly accused of preventing the flow of aid into Gaza, however, data provided by the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), demonstrates that Israel has facilitated the transfer of more humanitarian aid per capita than almost any nation in recent history. 

Over the weekend, the Israeli government announced the resumption of humanitarian operational pauses in several areas of Gaza, to facilitate the transfer of aid to Palestinians in areas not controlled by Hamas, as well as the first humanitarian aid air drop carried out by the Israel Air Force.