Moment Israeli army intercepts Gaza-bound aid ship Handala

[Uncle Joe]

Footage shows the moment Israeli forces intercepted an aid ship heading for Gaza on Saturday evening (26 July).

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition released a statement saying its civilian vessel Handala was intercepted about 40 miles from Gaza.

The Handala was carrying 21 civilians representing 12 countries, including parliamentarians, lawyers, journalists, labor organizers, environmentalists, and other human rights defenders.

Watch more on Independent TV: https://tinyurl.com/yc7ukx9n

[Lonestarblue]

1. Israel doesn't want anyone to see the full destruction of Gaza or its starving people.

Palestinian children are being starved deliberately. Women and children gave been killed in unusual numbers in this war because without them there is no Palestinian future. The Netanyahu government needs to be tried for war crimes now.

[Uncle Joe]

2. Precisely

I agree 100%

[Be Leave On]

5. spelling correction

Palestinian children are being starved deliberately. Women and children have been killed in unusual numbers in this genocide because without them there is no Palestinian future. The Netanyahu government needs to be tried for war crimes now.

[tritsofme]

3. Thanks for the footage! IDF did a great job!

[AloeVera]

9. For sure. Guarding and filming a bunch of hands-up, unarmed humanitarians is brave work indeed.

Though the people of Gaza no doubt benefitted from these soldiers' absence, as short as it may have been.

[David__77]

11. This is a certain type of "heroism" of outright criminals.

[Beastly Boy]

17. Don't forget handing out free sandwiches to a bunch of self-aggrandizing showoffs.

Dirty work, but someone's got to do it.

[David__77]

13. Why do you cheer keeping food out of the mouths of starving children?

[Beastly Boy]

18. There wasn't a single starving child on that boat.

A bunch of publicity-seeking brats, but they were only acting like children. And they were fed.

[sabbat hunter]

4. Ship should be inspected

make sure there are no weapons on board, then allowed to proceed to give people living in Gaza much needed food.

[Beastly Boy]

6. What, no "piracy"? Ho "highjacking"? No SOS signals? No "unprovoked attack in international waters"?

In related news:

Israel seeks permanent seizure of Gaza-bound 'Freedom Flotilla' ship

Israel has filed a request to permanently confiscate the Gaza-bound ship Madleen from the “Freedom Flotilla,” after it attempted to break the naval blockade on the Gaza Strip.

The request, submitted Thursday by the Haifa District Attorney’s Office on behalf of the State of Israel, was made to the Haifa District Court sitting as a maritime court. The state is asking to seize the vessel “in favor of the state treasury.”

The Madleen was intercepted early last month by the Israeli Navy as it approached the waters off Gaza. According to the government’s statement, the ship had "attempted to violate the legal naval blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip.”

“The request submitted by the Haifa District Attorney’s Office is based on international law, which grants countries the right to seize vessels that attempt to breach a naval blockade, and gives the court authority to order their forfeiture. According to the laws of naval warfare, breaching or attempting to breach a blockade gives the state the right to search and seize the vessel,” the statement said.

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ryk8hflpge

[David__77]

12. It is an illegal blockade.

Israel's blockade is illegal under international law (Geneva Conventions Article 33). Confiscating aid ships is collective punishment.

This isn't security - it's starvation as a weapon.

[Beastly Boy]

15. No it is not.

Article 33 of the additional protocols to the fourth Geneva convention is only applicable to "protected persons" as defined in Article 4 of the Fourth Geneva convention:

Article 4

Persons protected by the Convention are those who, at a given moment and in any manner whatsoever, find themselves, in case of a conflict or occupation, in the hands of a Party to the conflict or Occupying Power of which they are not nationals.

https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/documents/atrocity-crimes/Doc.33_GC-IV-EN.pdf

Neither the ship in question nor its occupants were in conflict with Israel at the time they found themselves in Israel's hands. They are not covered by the article you think they are covered by.

A blockade, on the the hand, is a legitimate method of warfare and is covered in Articles 93 - 108 of the additional protocols to the Geneva Conventions. Article 98 specifically states:

98. Merchant vessels believed on reasonable grounds to be breaching a blockade may be captured. Merchant vessels which, after prior warning, clearly resist capture may be attacked

https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treaties/san-remo-manual-1994/article-93-108

It's a friggin legal and legitimate blockade under international law. And anyone resisting capture would have put themselves at risk of legitimate military attack.

[Iggo]

14. Not until you brought it up.

But now that you mention it….

[Samael13]

7. Not trying to mean

But i think your link may be wrong I clicked it to check out the whole story and it brought me to some video about a celebrity taking about penis socks

[AloeVera]

10. Works fine for me. N/T

[Celerity]

21. your link:

Watch more on Independent TV: https://tinyurl.com/yc7ukx9n

redirects to

[Ping Tung]

8. The IDF heroically defended Gaza from an invasion of vicious humanitarians delivering food and medicine to

well fed, healthy, survivors of war crimes.

[Beastly Boy]

16. The IDF prevented breach of a legal blockade, and their action was predictable and expected.

Last edited Sun Jul 27, 2025, 05:29 PM - Edit history (1)

My guess is Gretta's rave reviews of the free IDF ham sandwiches made the prospects of detainment irresistibly enticing, despite violations of international law.

[Ping Tung]

19. Breaches of International Law? From someone who defends war crimes and the boss who orders the atrocities.

And, the ones who are ducking warrants from the International Criminal Court.

[Beastly Boy]

20. Ad hominem anyone?

Deflection anyone?

Tell me something about breach of blockade I don't know about. Otherwise, you are off topic.