The Palestinian Association for Human Rights (Witness) strongly condemns, in the harshest terms, the crime committed by the Israeli occupation forces in the open sea, namely their armed storming of the Handala ship, which was heading toward the Gaza Strip on a humanitarian mission aimed at breaking the unlawful blockade imposed on more than two million people for over 17 years.
The storming of the ship in international waters, and preventing it from reaching its destination, constitutes an act of international piracy and a blatant violation of the provisions of international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit harm to civilians and guarantee freedom of movement and humanitarian relief during times of conflict.
Witness affirms that this crime is part of a series of systematic assaults committed by the Israeli occupation against civilians and international activists, with the aim of imposing total isolation on the Gaza Strip and preventing any form of solidarity or relief.
Accordingly, the Palestinian Association for Human Rights (Witness) demands the following:
▶️ An urgent international investigation into the storming incident and accountability for those responsible for this grave violation.
▶️ Providing legal protection for the activists aboard the ship and ensuring their physical and psychological safety.
▶️ Serious international pressure to end the unjust blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip, which constitutes a form of collective punishment prohibited under international law.
▶️ Enabling relief convoys and international aid to reach the residents of the Strip without obstacles or military interference.