Gaza War: Freedom Flotilla Announces Loss of Contact with Handala, Ship Sailing to Gaza with Humanitarian Aid

"We have lost all contact with the crew of the Handala," the ship heading to Gaza, the press service wrote on WhatsApp. "Communications have been jammed and numerous drones have been seen in the vicinity. This could mean they have been intercepted or attacked," the press service added.

According to the website that tracks the Handala in real time, the boat was in international waters off Egypt, still far from Gaza. The boat had left the port of Syracuse, Sicily, about ten days ago, with about fifteen activists on board.

Two LFI elected officials on board

This former Norwegian trawler, loaded with medical equipment, food, children's equipment and medicines, also had on board two elected representatives of La France Insoumise (LFI), Gabrielle Cathala and Emma Fourreau.

This initiative comes about two months after the departure of the Madleen, another ship that set sail from Italy on June 1 to "break the Israeli blockade" of Gaza. The sailboat had 12 activists on board, including environmental activist Greta Thunberg and LFI MEP Rima Hassan, who was detained three days after the ship's interception, about 185 kilometers west of the Gaza coast.