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The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) announced Thursday that it has lost contact with the “Handala,” a ship delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza as part of the group’s effort to break Israel’s blockade.
“All communications with the 'Handala's crew have been jammed,” the group said in a statement posted on its official Telegram channel..
“We lost all contact with our crew, and there are multiple drones near the vessel,” the statement continued. “Which means that they could have been intercepted or attacked.”
No further information was available regarding the ship’s location, the condition of the crew, or any confirmation of Israeli involvement. The incident follows previous confrontations.
On May 2, the MV Conscience, a ship belonging to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and transporting aid to Gaza, was attacked by drones while in international waters near Malta, causing a fire and structural damage.
Meanwhile, Israel on June 9 intercepted another aid ship, the Madlene, in international waters off the coast of Gaza, detaining and later deporting its 12 international activists, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and French Member of European Parliament Rima Hassan, under the condition they not attempt to return.
Israel has killed more than 59,500 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in the Gaza Strip since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, collapsed the health system and led to severe food shortages. Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
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