A Gaza-bound ship carrying aid and activists was intercepted by Israeli forces Saturday night within 70 nautical miles of its intended destination, according to the human rights group Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC).
“The occupation has disabled our cameras and all communication has been lost,” the organization’s spokesperson told CNN in a message.
CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment.
A YouTube livestream showed armed personnel boarding the ship while the activists on deck, all wearing life jackets, held their hands in the air in surrender. One of the helmeted personnel appears to manipulate the camera on the deck, turning it around. The group’s livestream ended soon after that.
The Handala, named for a famous Palestinian cartoon character, is part of the FFC, which has attempted numerous times to break Israel’s blockade on Gaza via sea and deliver aid to Palestinians there.
A few hours before the ship was intercepted, the FFC released a statement saying that the Handala was steering toward Egypt in an effort to avoid being boarded.
Two members of the French and European parliaments are aboard, as well as Christian Small, a US trade unionist.
More background: The apparent end of Handala’s journey toward Gaza comes a little over a month after another ship from the Freedom Flotilla, the Madleen, was similarly intercepted on its way to the enclave.
That ship, crewed by a group that included climate activist Greta Thunberg, was also laden with aid. Israeli authorities towed their ship to Ashdod, and all aboard were deported from Israel afterwards.
