From the Liveblog of
Saturday, July 26, 2025
Israeli Navy forces board activist boat heading for Gaza, live footage shows
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Israeli Navy forces have intercepted the Handala activist boat attempting to break Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip, live footage from the vessel shows.
The Navy troops reached the Handala and boarded it, a livestream shows. The cameras onboard have since been cut.
Handala is operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which also dispatched a previous boat that was stopped, the Madleen, on a mission to reach Gaza.
According to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s website, the Handala is carrying 19 activists as well as two Al Jazeera journalists.
The boat will be towed to Ashdod Port by the Navy, and the activists will then be deported from the country.
The IDF has not issued an official comment on the incident.
התיעוד המלא והדרמטי: השתלטות שייטת 13 על הספינה חנד'לה שניסתה לפרוץ את המצור על עזה. מעליית הלוחמים על הספינה ממספר כלי שייט ועד ניתוק מצלמות האבטחה. בזמן הזה הפעילים יושבים בכיסאות עם אפודי הצלה ושרים pic.twitter.com/onKZibxxpa
— איתי בלומנטל ???????? Itay Blumental (@ItayBlumental) July 26, 2025
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