A boat carrying two Australians has been intercepted by Israeli troops, Israel’s foreign ministry has confirmed, as a pro-Palestinian activist group claims its crew have been subjected to “unlawful” detention while attempting to transport aid to Gaza.
The Handala, registry name Navaren, led by the activist group the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was roughly 50km from the Egyptian coast and 100km west of Gaza when intercepted, an online tracking tool set up to plot the ship’s course showed.
In a post on X, the Israeli foreign ministry said its navy had stopped “the vessel Navarn” from “illegally entering the maritime zone of the coast of Gaza”.
“The vessel is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. All passengers are safe,” the post read. “Unauthorized attempts to breach the blockade are dangerous, unlawful, and undermine ongoing humanitarian efforts.”
According to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, two Australians including journalist Tania “Tan” Safi and human rights activist Robert Martin were among 21 activists on board the ship when it was intercepted.
A spokesperson for Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was “aware” two Australians were onboard the vessel and officials in Tel Aviv were liaising with authorities.
“Consular officers stand ready to offer assistance to affected Australians,” they said.
Also on board were two Al Jazeera reporters, as well as French politicians Emma Fourreau (an MEP) and Gabrielle Cathala (an MP in the National Assembly), Freedom Flotilla Coalition said in a statement on their website.
The statement said the Handala had been “violently intercepted” by the military in international waters at 11.43pm local time, and claimed the cameras on board were cut, along with any communication with the ship.
Ann Wright, a member of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s steering committee, said in the statement that Israel had “no legal authority to detain international civilians aboard”.
“This is not a matter of internal Israeli jurisdiction,” she said. “These are foreign nationals operating under international law in international waters. Their detention is arbitrary, unlawful, and must end.”
Pre-recorded video messages shared on social media by a coalition of pro-Palestinian bodies, including Free Gaza Australia, showed Safi and Martin urging the Australian government to sanction Israel to lobby for the release of the crew members.
“If you’re seeing this video, the Handala and its crew have been intercepted at sea,” Safi said in their recording. “I’ve been abducted and taken against my will.”
The activists’ own video stream appeared to show them sitting on deck, holding their hands up and whistling the Italian anti-fascist song “Bella Ciao”, as armed soldiers took control of the vessel. Three feeds of the scene were cut minutes later.
The Gaza government media office told Al Jazeera the occupation of the vessel was an act of “maritime piracy” that represented a “flagrant violation” of international law, and called on the international community, including the UN, “to take an urgent and firm stance against this aggression and to work to secure international protection for the convoys”.
The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (Apan) released a statement on Sunday condemning “the unjustified, unprovoked and illegal actions by Israeli forces”, and urged the Australian government to demand the release of those on the Handala, and to take stronger action over Israel’s actions in Gaza.
The refurbished fishing boat had been on course from Malmö in Sweden, to try to break an Israeli naval blockade of Gaza and bring humanitarian aid, including baby formula, nappies, food and medicine, to the territory’s Palestinian residents.
Aid was formerly distributed through more than 400 distribution points under a UN-led system, but Israel has all but stopped UN aid into the territory since March.
The Handala’s crew had said in a social media post that they would go on a hunger strike if the Israeli army intercepted the boat and detained its passengers.
The last boat sent by Freedom Flotilla, the Madleen, was intercepted by the Israeli army in international waters on 9 June and towed to the Israeli port of Ashdod.
It carried 12 campaigners on board, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who were eventually expelled by Israel. In 2010, nine flotilla activists en route to Gaza on board the Mavi Marmara flagship vessel were shot a total of 30 times by Israeli soldiers. Five were killed by close-range gunshot wounds to the head.
The Australian foreign minister, Penny Wong, and the Israeli embassy in Canberra were approached for comment.
– with Agence France-Presse
