The Freedom Flotilla Coalition's Handala will depart from Siracusa, Italy, on July 13, 2025, to challenge the Israeli blockade of Gaza. This mission aims to deliver vital humanitarian aid and demonstrate solidarity with Palestinians, addressing the ongoing humanitarian crisis worsened by the blockade and recent military actions since March 2025. The Handala's voyage is both a logistical undertaking and a symbolic act against oppressive conditions.
A new ship from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition is planning to set sail from Italy Sunday in hopes of breaking the siege on Gaza. Chris Smalls, founder of Amazon’s first U.S. labor union, has announced he’ll join the journey aboard an aid ship named the Handala. Meanwhile, a Spanish passenger who traveled on the Madleen last month has filed a war crimes complaint against Israel over its violent raid on June 8 of the Gaza-bound aid ship while in international waters.
Borgia says that the supplies on board the Flotilla’s ships are far from enough to meet the needs of the people in Gaza after months of blockade. “Critics, including Israel, never miss the chance to point out that we’re carrying so little, asking what good it can do,” he said. “But they fail to mention that, for example, last year, when we organized the delivery of thousands of tons of essential supplies, those shipments were blocked too.”
The mission of the Handala, like that of the Madleen and earlier voyages, goes beyond delivering material aid, he adds – it is, in many ways, a political statement. “For years, Israel has undermined Palestinians’ ability to fish or farm,” Borgia said. “This has forced Palestinians in Gaza into complete dependency on aid, with devastating consequences for their sense of dignity and self-sufficiency.”
In this context, as governments remain silent in the face of Israel’s genocide, ongoing occupation and other crimes, Freedom Flotilla aims to break the silence. “Where governments fail, we, the people, are there to act,” Borgia emphasized.
It pointed to the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, where residents face death, in addition to the growing threats of famine and disease.
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