https://ninkilim.com/articles/hijacking_of_the_handala/en.html
On the night of July 26, 2025, Israeli naval forces hijacked the Handala, a Norwegian-flagged civilian vessel carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. Operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the Handala was 40 nautical miles off the coast of Gaza - in international waters - when it was intercepted by Israeli warships. On board were 21 civilians from over a dozen countries: members of parliament, doctors, lawyers, journalists, engineers, and human rights activists. Their mission was simple: bring desperately needed food and medicine to Gaza’s starving children.
Instead, they were violently abducted by one of the most heavily armed militaries on Earth.
The Handala is not just another victim of Israeli aggression. It is a symbol of how far this siege has gone - and how far the world has failed to act.
Since March 3, 2025, Israel has imposed a total siege on Gaza. No food. No fuel. No water. No medicine. The result is now recognized globally as a stage 5 famine - the most catastrophic classification on the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) scale.
Children are dying of starvation every day. Entire families are wasting away. Survivors are suffering irreversible damage: infants with stunted brains, adults with failing organs. This is not collateral damage. This is policy.
The use of starvation as a weapon of war is a war crime. When inflicted with the intent to destroy a population in whole or in part, it becomes genocide - as defined under Article II(c) of the Genocide Convention:
“Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.”
The Handala was a 20-meter trawler sailing under the Norwegian flag, carrying humanitarian cargo: baby formula, food, diapers, and medical supplies. The 21 passengers included:
The ship posed no threat to Israel. It was unarmed. It was open about its route and intentions. Its destination was not Israel, but Gaza.
Yet Israel attacked it. Live communications were cut at 23:43 EEST. The ship was boarded by force, the passengers detained, and the aid confiscated.
The Handala was seized in international waters, far outside the territorial jurisdiction of any state. Under Article 101 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), this qualifies as piracy:
“Any illegal acts of violence or detention… on the high seas against another ship.”
Israel had no legal right to board or divert the ship. The Handala was a foreign-flagged civilian vessel. Its seizure by military force, without legal process, was state piracy.
This was not border enforcement. This was the criminalization of humanitarian aid.
Israel claims its blockade is legal. But under international maritime law, it isn’t.
In 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an advisory opinion reaffirming that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory is unlawful. Its naval blockade - which blocks food and medical aid from reaching civilians - is not a legitimate security measure. It is a form of collective punishment, prohibited by international humanitarian law.
Military intervention to break the blockade is not aggression against Israel, because Israel has no lawful territorial claim over Gaza’s waters. Intervening to deliver humanitarian aid would restore Palestinian sovereignty, not violate Israeli sovereignty.
As the occupying power in Gaza, Israel is bound by:
Israel is not failing to meet these duties - it is deliberately violating them. And it is punishing others for trying to help.
In January and March 2024, the ICJ issued binding provisional measures, ordering Israel to:
“Enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to address the adverse conditions of life faced by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”
The seizure of the Handala is a direct violation of those orders.
Unlike the earlier Madleen mission - where 12 crew members were forced to sign documents claiming they had “entered Israel illegally” before being deported - the 21 crew members of the Handala are still detained as of this writing.
No criminal charges have been filed.
Yet Israel is reportedly attempting the same farce: coercing the Handala crew to sign documents stating they “entered Israel illegally,” despite being abducted in international waters. Their destination was Gaza, not Israel. Signing those papers is not legal process - it is a fabrication designed to erase the crime of abduction and create a paper trail of false legality.
Under the Genocide Convention, the ICJ Statute, and R2P, all signatory states have a binding obligation to:
That duty includes the use of force, if necessary, to stop mass starvation and unblock access to aid. When peaceful aid missions like the Handala are attacked, other states are no longer merely permitted to intervene - they are required to.
Where was Norway’s navy?
Where were the EU’s ships?
Where were the signatories of the Genocide Convention?
To remain silent is to become complicit.
The hijacking of the Handala is a line in the water. It is not only Gaza that is being strangled. It is the principle that people should not be starved for being born in the wrong place. It is the principle that aid is not a crime. It is the belief that law matters more than brute force.
Israel’s actions are piracy, terrorism, and genocide - not because activists say so, but because the law says so.
The world must act now:
Gaza’s children are dying of hunger. The law is on their side. Humanity must be, too.