Rome - Saba:
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition announced on Friday that full contact had been restored with the "Handala" ship after a loss of approximately two hours on Thursday evening, following the approach of drones at sea.
The coalition said in a statement on the "X" platform that the ship is now 349 nautical miles from the coast of Gaza and is continuing its journey despite the increasing dangers at sea, confirming that all on board are safe.
In the hours prior to sailing from the Italian port of Gallipoli on July 20, the "Handala" ship was subjected to two attempts to sabotage a rope around the propeller and an incident involving the filling of a water tank with acid, which caused burns to two crew members. Despite this, the ship sailed after a brief delay.
Communication with the ship was suddenly cut off yesterday evening amid drones hovering in the vicinity, raising fears that it was being intercepted or attacked.
This prompted the coalition to issue an urgent appeal to the international community to intervene and ensure the safety of the crew.
For her part, the American-Palestinian Solidarity Coordinator, Howayda Arraf, indicated the crew's willingness to put their lives on the line to deliver the message: "The lives of the people of Gaza have value."
The ship, "Handala," set sail from the coast of Italy last Sunday, carrying 19 international human rights activists and journalists of Arab and Western nationalities, some of whom hold dual citizenship, in a symbolic and humanitarian attempt to break the tight naval blockade imposed by the Israeli authorities on Gaza for more than 17 years.
In a parallel incident last June, the previous ship, the Medellin, carrying prominent activists including Greta Thunberg and European Parliament member Rima Hassan, was intercepted by spraying a chemical agent and blocking communications before being taken to the port of Ashdod in the occupied entity, where they were subsequently deported.