The Freedom Flotilla’s latest civilian aid boat, Handala, is officially en route to Gaza from Italy. The mission comes just weeks after Israeli forces seized another the group’s last aid boat, the Madleen, and detained 12 civilians, including a Member of European Parliament and Greta Thunberg. The boat is named Handala after a Palestinian cartoon figure made by cartoonist Naji al-Ali in 1973 and the trip was dedicated to Gaza’s children. The News Movement’s @reemxfarhat spoke to FFC organizer Yasemin Acar about Handala’s mission. “As I write this, I’m sitting in an airport in Brussels, the heart of the European Union, and the irony isn’t lost on me. The same institutions that speak of human rights are the ones enabling this siege through silence and inaction,” said Yasemin. “We hope this mission offers two things: immediate solidarity, and long-term impact. In the short term, we want the children and families in Gaza to know that they are not forgotten.This mission is not just about ...