AhlulBayt News Agency: Foreign activists detained after the Israeli Navy's raid on the Handala aid ship bound for Gaza have begun an open-ended hunger strike in protest against their forced arrest in international waters.
The Adalah legal center, based in the occupied territories, confirmed Monday that most detainees are refusing food in protest of what they call unlawful aggression.
Court proceedings for the activists are scheduled at Givon Prison in Ramla, located in the central occupied territories.
Adalah described the ongoing detention of civilians seized from international waters as a serious violation of international law.
According to the center, five activists are expected to be deported within hours.
The Handala vessel, which carried humanitarian cargo including baby formula, food, and medical supplies, was intercepted by Israeli forces on Saturday night off the coast of Gaza. On board were 21 activists—among them elected officials, healthcare workers, and volunteers.
Lawyers representing the detainees have called for their immediate and unconditional release. They insist the activists must be allowed to complete their mission before returning to their countries.
The legal team argues that Israel lacks jurisdiction to detain or deport any individuals, since the interception occurred in international waters.
They added that classifying the activists as “illegal infiltrators” after forcibly relocating them into occupied territory has no legal justification.
Handala, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, had set sail from Italy to deliver humanitarian aid and challenge the prolonged Israeli blockade on Gaza, where 2.4 million people face severe shortages.
In recent months, Israel has conducted similar operations, intercepting several Gaza-bound aid missions.
In June, Israeli forces seized the vessel Madleen, detaining 12 international activists including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and European Parliament member Rima Hassan of France.
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