In a dramatic midnight operation, the Israeli military intercepted a Gaza-bound humanitarian aid ship in international waters, detaining 21 international activists and journalists and seizing all civilian cargo, including baby formula, food, and medicine, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.

The intercepted vessel, Handala, was reportedly 40 nautical miles off the Gaza coast when Israeli forces boarded it, cut communication and disabled cameras, the coalition said. The aid mission was intended to deliver relief to Palestinians amid what humanitarian groups call a deepening crisis of starvation and medical collapse in the besieged territory.

This marks the second interception of a Freedom Flotilla ship in recent months, following the June seizure of the vessel Madleen, which carried 12 activists including climate activist Greta Thunberg.

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Rights group Adalah condemned the interception as a violation of international law, stating that the ship never entered Israeli waters and was heading toward Gaza, recognized by many as part of Palestinian territorial waters.

As global scrutiny intensifies over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Israel now faces renewed backlash over its blockade and naval actions in international waters.

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