The ship Handala, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, set sail from the port of Syracuse, Italy, heading toward Gaza in an attempt to break the Israeli-imposed blockade on the Strip.
Zaher Birawi, head of the International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza, confirmed that the departure of the Handala ship aims “to break the normalization with the siege imposed on our people in Gaza.” He noted that despite the crimes committed against international solidarity activists and these ships — which have been hijacked and their passengers detained — such actions will not intimidate those standing in solidarity with Gaza. He affirmed the continuation of these missions regardless of the consequences.
The ship is named after the character Handala, a symbolic Palestinian icon created by cartoonist Naji al-Ali in 1969. Handala is regarded as a symbol of Palestinian resistance and steadfastness.