Archiv: Handala (Freedom Flotilla vessel)


08.10.2025 - 00:00 [ Freedom Flotilla Coalition ]

FFC and Thousand Madleens Launch Next Wave of Boats to Gaza

(September 27, 2025)

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) and Thousand Madleens to Gaza (TMTG) will launch a flotilla of 10 boats on Saturday, 27 September 2025 from San Giovanni Li Cuti harbour, Catania, Sicily, Italy.

(…)

This wave of boats follows the Madleen, Handala, and the dozens of boats that the FFC has sailed over the past 15 years, as well as the vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla — all of which the Israeli military has repeatedly attacked. Together, these civilian missions signal that the demand to end Israel’s blockade cannot be silenced or deterred.

“Every boat we launch is a direct challenge to the blockade and a declaration of solidarity. We sail not as charity, but as part of the global struggle to end apartheid and affirm the right of the Palestinian people to live free.” Joint statement from FFC and TMTG.

01.10.2025 - 15:46 [ Al Jazeera ]

Looking back: The Handala

As the Global Sumud Flotilla nears the Gaza coastline, Al Jazeera takes a look back at some of the past flotillas.
The Handala

Israeli forces stormed the Gaza-bound flotilla, which was carrying aid to starving Palestinians, on July 26, 2025.

Activists on the Handala came from Australia, France, Iraq, Italy, Morocco, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, the UK and the US.

01.08.2025 - 21:17 [ Freedom Flotilla Coalition ]

Final Two Handala Volunteers Freed From Israeli Occupation Prison

(July 31, 2025)

This morning the final two Handala volunteers held in Givon Prison–Christian Smalls from the United States and Hatem Aouini from Tunisia–were freed via Jordan’s King Hussein/Allenby Bridge after five days of unlawful imprisonment in occupied Palestine. Both had been on hunger strike to protest mistreatment. Aouini was received by the Tunisian embassy at the border. Despite repeated requests for assistance, neither the U.S. Consulate nor U.S. Embassy officials met Christian at the border, even after being notified in advance of his arrival details.

With their release, all 21 volunteers abducted from the Handala in international waters have now been released from Israeli captivity.

29.07.2025 - 22:11 [ Freedom Flotilla Coalition / Youtube ]

HANDALA SOS – CHRISTIAN SMALLS

SOS! The crew on ‚Handala‘ have been kidnapped by Israeli forces.

Chris Smalls is a citizen of the U.S.

Tag the U.S. Department of State NOW:
X: @StateDept and @SecRubio

FB: @U.S. Department of State

Instagram: @statedept @secrubio

29.07.2025 - 22:06 [ LA Progressive ]

Black Lives Matter Grassroots Vehemently Condemns Israel’s Kidnapping of Chris Smalls

Black Lives Matter Grassroots demands:

– The immediate release of Chris Smalls and all captured activists.
– The immediate end to the engineered famine and deliberate starving of the people in Gaza.
– An end to labor complicity with genocide.

We are asking all workers and people who believe in working class power to:

– Call the state department and demand the release of all those captured on the Freedom Flotilla.
– Email your Congressmembers asking them to demand the release of our people.
– Actively boycott pro-Israel companies.
– Pass resolutions and make official statements calling for an end to the genocide in Palestine.
– Raise awareness to the deliberate mass starvation, engineered famine, and genocide by making posts, engaging in political education, and disrupting spaces of complicity.

29.07.2025 - 21:58 [ NewRepublic.com ]

Israel Detains, Chokes, and Beats Up Amazon Union Leader Chris Smalls

Meanwhile, there’s not a peep from mainstream media in the U.S.

27.07.2025 - 00:46 [ Freedom Flotilla Coalition / Youtube ]

Amazon Union Leader Chris Smalls Boards Boat to Gaza

(July 21, 2025)

Amazon Labor Union leader Chris Smalls is on the ‚Handala‘, the 37th ship to challenge Israel’s illegal siege on Gaza. Amazon has invested billions in intelligence like the Nimbus project, used for the surveillance and targeting of Palestinians.

Chris shares that “…an injury to one is injury to all,” calling on labor unions worldwide to fulfill their responsibility: to be the shield for the working class, which includes protecting Palestinian people, and urges unions to stop their shipments of arms to Israel, fuelling their genocide in Gaza.

“We come with baby food, toys, medicine, and hope — not just for Gaza, but for the future of our children in America back at home. The world is watching.”

27.07.2025 - 00:07 [ Freedom Flotilla ]

2025 Handala Participants

Ange Sahuquet (France)

Ange Sahuquet is a French activist and engineer currently serving aboard the MV Handala, a ship sailing in solidarity with

Antonio La Picirella (Italy)

Antonio La Picirella was born in Bari in 1990 and raised within the social justice movements of Southern Italy.

Antonio Mazzeo (Italy)

Teacher, peace researcher, and journalist committed to peace, militarization, the environment, human rights, and the fight against mafia crime.

Bob Suberi (United States)

First generation Palestinian Jew, I was born in Los Angeles in 1948. My parents immigrated in 1938/39.

Braedon Peluso (United States)

Braedon Peluso is a seasoned sailor with over a decade of experience at sea, much of it dedicated to activism

Chloé Fiona Ludden (United Kingdom – France)

Chloé is a former United Nations staff member and scientist. She resigned from the UN to join the Freedom Flotilla

Christian Smalls (United States)

Christian Smalls is the founder of the Amazon Labor Union, the first independent, democratic, worker-led labor union in American History

Emma Fourreau (France – Sweden)

Emma Fourreau (born 1999 in France) is a French-Swedish politician, environmental activist and member of La France Insoumise (LFI).

Frank Romano (United States – France)

DR. FRANK ROMANO earned a PhD at University of Paris I, Panthéon Sorbonne, and a JD at Golden Gate University,

Gabrielle Cathala (France)

My name is Gabrielle Cathala, I am 33 years old. I was elected as a Member of Parliament

Hatem Aouini (Tunisia)

Hatem Aouini, 50 years old, Tunisian, Father of Nidhal 20 years and to Yasmine 13 years, is an Internationalist activist;

Huwaida Arraf (United States)

Huwaida Arraf is a Palestinian-American civil/human rights attorney and social justice activist. She has been involved in legal, political, …

Jacob Berger (United States)

Jacob Berger is a 40 year old tv/film actor, viral content creator and Jewish-American activist very active in the Palestinian..

Justine Kempf (France)

Justine Kempf worked as a nurse for Doctors Without Borders during a mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, …

Mohamed El Bakkali (Morocco)

Mohamed El Bakkali is a journalist with Al Jazeera, originally from Morocco and currently based in Paris.

Robert Martin (Australia)

Robert Martin knew the only way to uncover the truth was to go to Palestine and see it for himself.

Santiago González Vallejo (Spain)

Born, Madrid, 1956. Economist by profession, former trade unionist, now retired. Co-founder of the Committee for Solidarity with the Arab …

Tan Safi (Australia)

Tan was born in Gadigal country to parents who fled Lebanon after surviving the Israeli invasions in the 70s …

Vigdis Bjorvand (Norway)

Vigdis Bjorvand is a 70-year-old activist from Norway whose unwavering commitment to justice has spanned nearly five decades.

Waad Al Musa (United States – Iraq)

Waad Aal Musa is an Iraqi-American journalist and accomplished cameraman currently working with Al Jazeera.

27.07.2025 - 00:04 [ Al Jazeera English / Youtube ]

Israeli soldiers have boarded Gaza-bound Handala

A livestream shared by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition shows at least half a dozen Israeli soldiers have boarded the aid vessel. The activists aboard are sitting together, wearing life jackets and with their arms raised.

Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut joins live from Amman.

26.07.2025 - 23:54 [ Freedom Flotilla ]

Israeli Military Attacks Handala in International Waters

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition confirms that its civilian vessel Handala, en route to break Israel’s illegal, genocidal blockade on Palestinians in Gaza, has been violently intercepted by the Israeli military in international waters about forty nautical miles from Gaza. At 11:43 Palestine time the Occupation cut the cameras on board Handala and we have lost all communication with our ship.

22.07.2025 - 03:23 [ Freedom Flotilla ]

2025 Handala Participants

Ange Sahuquet (France)

Ange Sahuquet is a French activist and engineer currently serving aboard the MV Handala, a ship sailing in solidarity with

Antonio La Picirella (Italy)

Antonio La Picirella was born in Bari in 1990 and raised within the social justice movements of Southern Italy.

Antonio Mazzeo (Italy)

Teacher, peace researcher, and journalist committed to peace, militarization, the environment, human rights, and the fight against mafia crime.

Bob Suberi (United States)

First generation Palestinian Jew, I was born in Los Angeles in 1948. My parents immigrated in 1938/39.

Braedon Peluso (United States)

Braedon Peluso is a seasoned sailor with over a decade of experience at sea, much of it dedicated to activism

Chloé Fiona Ludden (United Kingdom – France)

Chloé is a former United Nations staff member and scientist. She resigned from the UN to join the Freedom Flotilla

Christian Smalls (United States)

Christian Smalls is the founder of the Amazon Labor Union, the first independent, democratic, worker-led labor union in American History

Emma Fourreau (France – Sweden)

Emma Fourreau (born 1999 in France) is a French-Swedish politician, environmental activist and member of La France Insoumise (LFI).

Frank Romano (United States – France)

DR. FRANK ROMANO earned a PhD at University of Paris I, Panthéon Sorbonne, and a JD at Golden Gate University,

Gabrielle Cathala (France)

My name is Gabrielle Cathala, I am 33 years old. I was elected as a Member of Parliament

Hatem Aouini (Tunisia)

Hatem Aouini, 50 years old, Tunisian, Father of Nidhal 20 years and to Yasmine 13 years, is an Internationalist activist;

Huwaida Arraf (United States)

Huwaida Arraf is a Palestinian-American civil/human rights attorney and social justice activist. She has been involved in legal, political, …

Jacob Berger (United States)

Jacob Berger is a 40 year old tv/film actor, viral content creator and Jewish-American activist very active in the Palestinian..

Justine Kempf (France)

Justine Kempf worked as a nurse for Doctors Without Borders during a mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, …

Mohamed El Bakkali (Morocco)

Mohamed El Bakkali is a journalist with Al Jazeera, originally from Morocco and currently based in Paris.

Robert Martin (Australia)

Robert Martin knew the only way to uncover the truth was to go to Palestine and see it for himself.

Santiago González Vallejo (Spain)

Born, Madrid, 1956. Economist by profession, former trade unionist, now retired. Co-founder of the Committee for Solidarity with the Arab …

Tan Safi (Australia)

Tan was born in Gadigal country to parents who fled Lebanon after surviving the Israeli invasions in the 70s …

Vigdis Bjorvand (Norway)

Vigdis Bjorvand is a 70-year-old activist from Norway whose unwavering commitment to justice has spanned nearly five decades.

Waad Al Musa (United States – Iraq)

Waad Aal Musa is an Iraqi-American journalist and accomplished cameraman currently working with Al Jazeera.

22.07.2025 - 02:55 [ Freedom Flotilla ]

FFC’s Handala Launches from Gallipoli, Begins Final Leg of Its Journey to Break the Blockade — For the Children of Gaza

(July 20, 2025)

Just hours before launching, Handala was the target of two deeply alarming incidents that appear to be deliberate sabotage intended to obstruct our mission and harm our crew.

On the night of July 19 or early morning July 20, a rope was discovered tightly wound around the boat’s propeller. This could not have occurred through normal use or by accident. It was a direct threat to the safety of our vessel and its ability to sail.

Even more dangerous, on the morning of July 20, the truck sent to deliver fresh water to our boat for washing and cooking on the journey, carried not water, but sulfuric acid. It splashed on a crew member’s leg, causing chemical burns. Another crew member who smelled the substance and opened the container sustained burns to his hand.

We have video footage of the individuals who delivered this dangerous substance. We call for an immediate investigation and full accountability for these acts.

Despite this suspected sabotage, we remain undeterred. The attempt to harm our team and silence this mission will not succeed.

22.07.2025 - 02:50 [ Palestine Chronicle ]

Sulfuric Acid Attack, Propeller Tampering Reported ahead of Gaza Flotilla Launch

The departure was marred by two alarming acts of suspected sabotage. In the hours leading up to the launch, crew members discovered a rope tightly wound around the vessel’s propeller. The coalition said the incident was unlikely to have occurred accidentally and posed a significant threat to the ship’s ability to sail safely.

In a second incident, a truck delivering what was supposed to be fresh water for the voyage instead carried sulfuric acid. Two crew members suffered chemical burns, with one sustaining injuries to his hand after opening the container, and another to his leg from splashing liquid.

12.07.2025 - 22:23 [ FreedomFlotilla.org ]

THE FREEDOM FLOTILLA IS SETTING SAIL AGAIN

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.