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Palestine Watch

International Condemnation Mounts Over Israeli Seizure of Gaza Aid Ship 'Handala' and Detention of Humanitarian Activists

By Kening Zhang | August 4, 2025


In July 2025, Palestine Watch reported the launch of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship Handala, carrying vital humanitarian aid to Gaza. This mission aimed to break the Israeli blockade and deliver urgently needed supplies to Palestinians suffering under siege.


This report updates that story with details on the Handala’s interception by Israeli forces, the detention and mistreatment of its passengers, and the global reactions that followed.


Photo: Freedom Flotilla Coalition
Photo: Freedom Flotilla Coalition

July 28: Interception in International Waters

In the early hours of July 28, 2025, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) illegally intercepted the Handala in international waters, forcibly seizing control of the vessel and kidnapping all 21 people aboard—including journalists, parliamentarians, and volunteers from over ten countries (A full list is provided at the end of this report).


Among the detainees was Chris Smalls, a renowned U.S. labor organizer and former president of the Amazon Labor Union (ALU). He was the only African American participant on board.


Systematic Abuse and Neglect in Detention

The detainees reported a pattern of abusive treatment. Prison staff frequently carried out aggressive raids and searches while the activists were confined in overcrowded, poorly ventilated cells with no cooling systems, even as temperatures soared to 34°C in the peak of summer. They were denied basic hygiene supplies, including access to showers, and forced to sleep in areas infested with bedbugs.


They were also denied outdoor time, kept in sealed rooms all day without fresh air or space to move. Female detainees specifically highlighted the absence of essential menstrual hygiene products. At the same time, Norwegian activist Vigdis Bjorvand, despite her advanced age, was reportedly held in solitary confinement, cut off from communication and human contact. (Adalah, July 28-30)


Assault on Chris Smalls

According to Newrepublic.com, Chris Smalls was violently assaulted while in Israeli custody. A July 29 report noted that when he arrived at the prison:

"U.S. human rights defender Chris Smalls was physically assaulted by seven uniformed individuals. They choked him and kicked him in the legs, leaving visible signs of violence on his neck and back."

When his lawyer met with him, Smalls was surrounded by six members of Israel’s special police unit. No comparable violence was reported against other detainees, leading WWP and others to assert that this was a racially motivated assault.


August 1: Release and Deportation

On the morning of July 31, the final two Handala detainees—Chris Smalls (U.S.) and Hatem Aouini (Tunisia)—were deported via Jordan after five days of unlawful detention in harsh conditions, during which both conducted a hunger strike. Aouini was received at the border by representatives of the Tunisian embassy.

Their release marks the deportation of all Handala activists, with none remaining in Israeli custody.


Chris Smalls returned to JFK International Airport, where he was met with a hero’s welcome from fellow labor activists. Yet, much of the U.S. labor establishment remained largely silent. Among the few who publicly condemned the abuse were the Amazon Labor Union, the California Faculty Association, National Nurses United, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Labor for Palestine, and Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants–CWA (WWP, Aug. 1). WWP described this silence from most major unions, including the Teamsters, as "shameful".


Context: A Pattern of Repression

This incident marks the third time since May 2025 that the Israeli navy has intercepted a Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship attempting to break the Gaza blockade, highlighting a sustained campaign to repress international humanitarian aid missions (WWP, Aug. 1).

It follows the drone bombing of the civilian aid ship Conscience in European waters in May, which injured four people and disabled the vessel, and the illegal seizure of the Madleen in June, where Israeli forces abducted twelve civilians, including a Member of the European Parliament. (Freedom Flotilla Coalition, July 26)
Freedom Flotilla Coalition's boat the Handala prepares to leave for Palestine from Gallipoli, a coastal town in Italy, July 27, 2025. Photo: Freedom Flotilla Coalition
Freedom Flotilla Coalition's boat the Handala prepares to leave for Palestine from Gallipoli, a coastal town in Italy, July 27, 2025. Photo: Freedom Flotilla Coalition

Demands from the Movement

Civil society groups and rights organizations, including Adalah and Workers World Party, are calling for:

  • Full accountability for the illegal seizure of Handala

  • An independent investigation into the assault on Chris Smalls

  • An end to IOF attacks on humanitarian missions

  • Immediate lifting of the Gaza blockade, which has created genocidal conditions of mass starvation

Human Rights Defenders Aboard Handala, by country

United States:

  • Chris Smalls – Amazon Labor Union founder;

  • Huwaida Arraf – Human rights attorney (Palestine/US);

  • Jacob Berger – Jewish-American activist;

  • Bob Suberi – Jewish U.S. war veteran;

  • Braedon Peluso – Sailor and direct action activist;

  • Dr. Frank Romano – International lawyer and actor (France/US).

France:

  • Emma Fourreau – MEP and activist (France/Sweden);

  • Gabrielle Cathala – Parliamentarian and former humanitarian worker;

  • Justine Kempf – Nurse, Médecins du Monde;

  • Ange Sahuquet – Engineer and human rights activist.

Italy:

  • Antonio Mazzeo – Teacher, peace researcher, journalist;

  • Antonio “Tony” La Picirella – Climate and social justice organizer.

Spain:

  • Santiago González Vallejo – Economist and activist;

  • Sergio Toribio – Engineer and environmentalist.

Australia:

  • Robert Martin – Human rights activist;

  • Tania “Tan” Safi – Journalist and organizer of Lebanese descent.

Norway:

  • Vigdis Bjorvand – 70-year-old lifelong justice activist.

United Kingdom / France:

  • Chloé Fiona Ludden – Former UN staff and scientist.

Tunisia:

  • Hatem Aouini – Trade unionist and internationalist activist.


Journalists Aboard Handala

Morocco:

  • Mohamed El Bakkali – Senior journalist with Al Jazeera (based in Paris).

Iraq / United States:

  • Waad Al Musa – Cameraman and field reporter with Al Jazeera.

References:

 
 
 

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