Detained activists launch hunger strike after Israeli attack on aid ship Handala
Foreign activists detained after the Israeli assault on the Gaza-bound Handala aid ship have launched a hunger strike in protest against unlawful aggression in international waters.
“Most of them remain on an open-ended hunger strike to protest their forced detention,” the Adalah legal center, based in the occupied territories, said in a statement on Monday.
Court hearings for the detained activists are set to take place at Givon Prison in Ramla, in the central occupied territories.
“The continued detention of these civilian activists, who were forcibly taken from international waters, constitutes a grave violation of international law,” Adalah added.
The center said five of the activists are expected to be deported in the coming hours.
The Handala ship, carrying baby formula, food, and medicine, was seized by Israeli forces near the Gaza coast on Saturday night, with 21 activists on board, including lawmakers, medics, and volunteers.
A legal team representing the activists demanded their immediate, unconditional release and return to Handala to complete their mission of delivering aid to Gaza before returning to their home countries.
The legal experts argued that Israel lacks the jurisdiction for detentions and deportation, as the vessel was intercepted in international waters.
The team contended that the activists were forcibly brought to the Israeli-occupied territories from international waters, labeling them as “illegal infiltrators” without a legal basis.
The aid ship, launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), set sail from Italy in an attempt to break the months-long Israeli siege, which has left Gaza’s 2.4 million population on the verge of famine.
In recent months, Israel has intercepted multiple Gaza-bound aid ships in international waters.
In June, Israeli forces seized the Madleen, detaining a dozen international activists, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and French Member of European Parliament Rima Hassan.
A month earlier, the MV Conscience was attacked by Israeli drones near Malta.
UN agencies and major aid groups have warned that Gaza is at risk of a famine if more aid is not brought into the besieged strip.
At least 147 people, including 88 children, have died of starvation since October 2023.
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