Communication blackout sparks fears of attack on Gaza-bound aid ship 'Handala'

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) has lost contact with the aid ship 'Handala,' which was heading to Gaza with humanitarian aid for starving Palestinians amid the Israeli siege, raising fears that the vessel may have been targeted by a drone.

As part of the group’s mission, the ship was aiming to break Israel’s blockage, but “all communications with Handala’s crew have been jammed,” said FFC in a statement on its telegraph handle. 

“We lost all contact with our crew, and there are multiple drones near the vessel,” it said, “which means that they could have been intercepted or attacked.”

The FFC official urged people to involve their local media “to pressure for the safety of the crew” and “pressure Israel to let ‘Handala’ go and guarantee a safe passage to Gaza”.

Read: New ‘freedom flotilla’ departs for Gaza despite Israeli attacks on earlier missions

However, neither has an official statement been issued by Israel that confirms the incident, nor have precise details and the location of the aid been found so far. 

On May 2, the MV Conscience, a ship carrying aid to Gaza as part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was attacked by drones in international waters near Malta. The strike caused a fire and structural damage to the vessel.

On June 9, Israeli forces intercepted another aid ship, Madleen, off the coast of Gaza in international waters. Twelve international activists on board were detained and later deported, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and French MEP Rima Hassan. They were released on the condition that they not return.

Read: Israel to deport Madleen ship activists after confiscating their aid for Gaza

Since October 2023, more than 59,500 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed in Gaza. The Israeli military campaign has left the territory’s health system in collapse and caused extreme food shortages.

In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its violence in the enclave.