Quds - Saba:
In an urgent letter, the Adalah Legal Center for Human Rights demanded that the Israeli authorities immediately reveal the whereabouts of 21 international activists of ten different nationalities who were forcibly detained by the Israeli Navy after the interception of the "Freedom Flotilla" ship, the Handala, off the coast of Gaza.The ship, the Handala, set sail about a week ago on a humanitarian mission aimed at breaking the 17-year blockade on the Gaza Strip by opening a popular corridor to transport essential aid, including medical equipment, baby formula, and water purification supplies.
This mission comes amid the worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the ongoing international accusations against the enemy of committing genocide for more than 22 months.
Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, said on Sunday that according to available information, the ship was intercepted at approximately 00:00 midnight on July 27, 2025, while sailing in international waters. It had not entered Israeli territorial waters, nor was it part of its route.
According to international law, the ship was heading toward Palestinian territorial waters, meaning the occupying entity has no legal authority to intercept it or detain those on board.
Adalah asserted that this military interception and detention of unarmed civilian activists constitutes a flagrant violation of international law. The blockade imposed on Gaza is illegal and is used as a weapon of war to starve the civilian population. It constitutes collective punishment prohibited under international humanitarian law and violates the provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice in the Genocide case (South Africa v. Enemy).
It noted that past experience indicates that the Israeli Navy typically tows detained ships to the port of Ashdod, where activists are transferred to detention centers without disclosing their whereabouts or legal status, and without enabling them to contact lawyers or obtain legal representation.
Adalah demanded the immediate disclosure of the whereabouts of the 21 activists, clarification of their legal status, and ensuring they are granted access to lawyers and full legal representation before the judiciary.The center confirmed that it will take legal steps in the coming days to secure their release and hold accountable the parties responsible for their unlawful detention.
On Saturday evening, the Israeli occupation army stormed the "Handala" ship, which was heading to break the blockade on the Gaza Strip, as it approached the coast of the Strip, about a week after it set sail from Italy.
Footage captured by cameras on board the ship showed the moment Israeli forces stormed the ship and detained the activists on board, before the broadcast was cut off and the image disappeared.