Palestine

FFC’s Handala Launches from Gallipoli, Begins Final Leg of Its Journey to Break the Blockade [despite two disturbing incidents] - Freedom Flotilla (2025-07-20)

https://freedomflotilla.org/2025/07/20/ffcs-handala-launches-from-gallipoli-begins-final-leg-of-its-journey-to-break-the-blockade-for-the-children-of-gaza/
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>> Just hours before launching, #Handala was the target of two deeply alarming incidents that appear to be deliberate sabotage intended to obstruct our mission and harm our crew.

>> On the night of July 19 or early morning July 20, a rope was discovered tightly wound around the boat’s propeller. This could not have occurred through normal use or by accident...

>> ... on the morning of July 20, the truck sent to deliver fresh water to our boat for washing and cooking on the journey, carried not water, but sulfuric acid. It splashed on a crew member’s leg, causing chemical burns. Another crew member who smelled the substance and opened the container sustained burns to his hand.

#FreedomFlotilla #BreakTheSiege @[email protected]

Gallipoli, Italy, July 20, 2025 — The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) announces that Handala, our civilian aid boat, launched today from Gallipoli, Italy, beginning the final leg of its journey to Gaza. This marks a determined step in our ongoing effort to confront and break Israel’s illegal and deadly blockade of the Palestinian people in Gaza. Handala carries life-saving humanitarian aid and a message of solidarity from people across the world refusing to stay silent as Gaza is starved, bombed, and buried under rubble.

SUSPECTED SABOTAGE JUST HOURS BEFORE DEPARTURE Just hours before launching, Handala was the target of two deeply alarming incidents that appear to be deliberate sabotage intended to obstruct our mission and harm our crew.

On the night of July 19 or early morning July 20, a rope was discovered tightly wound around the boat’s propeller. This could not have occurred through normal use or by accident. It was a direct threat to the safety of our vessel and its ability to sail.

Even more dangerous, on the morning of July 20, the truck sent to deliver fresh water to our boat for washing and cooking on the journey, carried not water, but sulfuric acid. It splashed on a crew member’s leg, causing chemical burns. Another crew member who smelled the substance and opened the container sustained burns to his hand.

We have video footage of the individuals who delivered this dangerous substance. We call for an immediate investigation and full accountability for these acts.

Despite this suspected sabotage, we remain undeterred. The attempt to harm our team and silence this mission will not succeed.

https://archive.is/k3m9u

A few weeks ago, our teams in Gaza started sending alarming photos of emaciated babies. More than 50 children died of malnutrition during Israel’s total blockade between March and May, according to the WHO, and malnutrition rates are still rising rapidly. Since January 24, UNRWA has screened over 242,000 children at its clinics and medical points, covering more than half of Gaza’s under-5 population. One in 10 children screened is malnourished.

One of them is Ahlam, only seven months old. Her family has been displaced every month since the war began, always searching for safety that doesn’t exist. Like many babies in Gaza, her tiny body is weakened; her immune system has been damaged by trauma, repeated displacement, lack of clean water, poor hygiene, and very little food.

In Gaza, therapeutic food and medicine are in desperately short supply. Israeli authorities have imposed a tight siege, blocking the entry of food, medical supplies, nutritional aid, and even hygiene items like soap. Although the blockade is sometimes eased, the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the primary humanitarian organization in Gaza, has not been allowed to bring in aid for over four months.

Last week, Salam, another baby girl, died of malnutrition. She was only a few months old. By the time she reached our clinic, it was too late.

A touching song

In Gaza City, Palestine,
Just standing by the sea
Here I was born a refugee,
But no refuge could they find for me.
Well I’ve been trapped here all my days
Three borders closed surrounding me
And soldiers sitting in the sea
And bombs a-falling down on me.
And there’s no place to hide,
My home isn’t even safe inside -
Nowhere to run, to play,
Where I can be a child:
Just for one minute,
Just an hour of my troubled days,
Let this flying kite take back the sky for me.
This kite that’s flying over me
Seeing things that I can’t see,
Saying all the things that I would say
If I could leave this place;
No walls could stop me dreaming,
No lies could lock me down,
And all the words in all the world
Couldn’t stop me from roaming around.
This kite that’s flying over me,
It’s just paper string and wood,
And a picture that I painted
And I hope it’s understood.
Will you carry all my dreaming up towards the sun,
Will you show the world that freedom means the same to everyone.
All it needs is the right wind blowing
Just one breath from the sea,
And where bombs and bullets have been falling
I send my kite soaring.
It may seem a simple thing
Just holding on to a piece of string –
But don’t forget I’ve been holding on
For all of my short years,
And my mother and my father
Held on long before my time.
Just for one minute,
Just an hour of my troubled days,
Let this flying kite take back the sky for me. 

Sammy Gecsoyler
Sat 19 Jul 2025 14.41 EDT

Demonstrations were held in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol and Truro on Saturday as part of a campaign coordinated by Defend Our Juries.

In London’s Parliament Square, beside the Mahatma Gandhi statue, police officers surrounded people at an event at which signs were held that read “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action”.

A woman who was detained in Parliament Square said: “We demand that #Palestine Action is de-proscribed.

“Our government is not only arming a genocide, they are using terrorism laws to silence people who speak out."

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/33360307

Huda Skaik
July 7 2025

In the besieged Gaza Strip, three professions have emerged as a lifeline, their practitioners heroic in their efforts to alleviate the worst of the humanitarian catastrophe that is unfolding under Israel’s constant attacks on civilians and civic infrastructure.

The rescuers, the healers, and the witnesses — civil defense responders making unimaginable sacrifices to try and save people from the rubble of bombed buildings; medical professionals fighting an impossible battle with poor supplies in hospitals; and journalists risking their lives to expose the truth — are all supporting the entire population enduring genocide and famine.

According to the Health Ministry, the Israeli military has killed at least 113 civil defense responders, around 228 journalists, and at least 1,411 medical workers since October 7, 2023.

By Ayah El-Khaldi
Published date: 14 July 2025 17:06 BST

One of the most widely circulated Reddit posts under the subreddit "Israel" encapsulated the concern from pro-Israel audiences:

“Have you all seen the new Superman movie? I find it so disrespectful and distressing that a superhero created by two Jewish artists is now being used to promote anti-Israeli messages to the world… I can't understand how this was green-lit at a time like this with global antisemitism on a rise... Of course, the invaders are portrayed as white while the victims are predominantly brown. And of course, if Israel speaks out against the film, it would be seen as 'well, if the shoe fits.'"

Users responding on Twitter wrote: “It’s so funny that they instantly recognize that the movie is about Israel’s genocide in Gaza without being told and yet still have the temerity to get offended and express their indignation in public. It’s like how come you know the evil murderous villains are Israel, guys?”

By Sean Mathews Published date: 16 July 2025 14:15 BST

"Vessels are going to start to avoid calling at Israeli ports. It's not about getting hit by the Houthis, but the chance of not being insured," a maritime security official told MEE. "Does a secondary or tertiary link to Israel mean you can be denied coverage?"

The Eternity C had no direct link to Israel, but Cosmoship vessels regularly called at Israeli ports last year. The CEO of Stem Shipping, the owner of Magic Seas, acknowledged that his vessels sometimes call at Israeli ports also.