Gaza bound aid ship intercepted as Israel announces partial humanitarian pause

Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) announced that it has lost contact with the “Handala,” a ship carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza as part of the group’s mission to break Israel’s blockade.

“All communications with the Handala’s crew have been jammed,” the coalition said in a statement posted on its official Telegram channel.

“We lost all contact with our crew, and there are multiple drones near the vessel,” it said, “which means that they could have been intercepted or attacked.”

The coalition urged its supporters “to pressure for the safety of the crew,” calling on people to contact their representatives and local media to “pressure Israel to let ‘Handala’ go and guarantee a safe passage to Gaza.”

No other details were available regarding the ship’s precise location, the status of its crew, or confirmation of an Israeli intervention.

The incident follows previous confrontations.

Read: Israel kills 25 Palestinians, including 13 aid-seekers, since dawn

On May 2, the MV Conscience, a ship belonging to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and transporting aid to Gaza, was attacked by drones while in international waters near Malta, causing a fire and structural damage.

On June 9, Israel intercepted another aid ship, the Madlene, in international waters off the coast of Gaza, detaining and later deporting its 12 international activists, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and French Member of European Parliament Rima Hassan, under the condition they not attempt to return.

Israel announces military pause

The Israeli military announced on Sunday a pause in military activity in three designated areas of Gaza, shortly after it said it was taking several steps to ease the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave.

The pause will take place daily in Al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah, and Gaza City, from 10 a.m. (0700 GMT) to 8 p.m. (1700 GMT) until further notice, the military said.

Designated secure routes will also be in place permanently from 6 a.m. until 11 p.m., it added.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog welcomed recent military decisions to implement humanitarian pauses in Gaza, calling them “major steps” to improve aid delivery and protect civilian lives.

“I welcome the major steps announced by the Israeli leadership and military to strengthen and upgrade the humanitarian response in Gaza — particularly the decision to implement humanitarian pauses,” Herzog said in a statement posted on X.

I welcome the major steps announced by the Israeli leadership and military to strengthen and upgrade the humanitarian response in Gaza — particularly the decision to implement humanitarian pauses to protect civilian lives and allow the safe delivery of aid.

Read more: UNRWA belittles Gaza aid airdrops proposal

Mass hunger

International aid organisations say mass hunger has now arrived among Gaza’s 2.2 million people, with stocks running out after Israel cut off all supplies to the territory in March, then reopened it in May but with new restrictions.

The Israeli military said on Friday it had agreed to let countries airdrop aid into Gaza. Hamas dismissed this as a stunt.

“The Gaza Strip does not need flying aerobatics, it needs an open humanitarian corridor and a steady daily flow of aid trucks to save what remains of the lives of besieged, starving civilians,” Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, told Reuters.

Gaza medical authorities said nine more Palestinians had died over the past 24 hours from malnutrition or starvation. Dozens have died in the past few weeks as hunger worsens.

Israel says it has let enough food into Gaza and accuses the United Nations of failing to distribute it, in what the Israeli foreign ministry called on Friday “a deliberate ploy to defame Israel”. The United Nations says it is operating as effectively as possible under Israeli restrictions.

United Nations agencies said that supplies were running out in Gaza of specialised therapeutic food to save the lives of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher also has demanded that Israel provide evidence for its accusations that staff with the UN. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs were affiliated with Hamas, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

Gaza ceasefire

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas could be finalized “any day now,” citing steady progress in ongoing negotiations led by Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, Al Jazeera reports.

“They’ve made a lot of progress, and they’re close,” Rubio told Fox News, adding that Witkoff has been working “day and night for weeks.”

Rubio said the proposed deal would include the release of at least half the hostages, including the deceased, with the remaining captives expected to be freed at the end of a 60-day period.

“All Americans are out now. We care about all the hostages,” he said, referring to those still held in Gaza.

“There’s a very simple solution to what’s happening in Gaza. Release all the hostages, lay down your arms, and the war ends for Hamas,” he added.

Israel’s war on Gaza

The Israeli army has launched a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing at least 58,667 Palestinians, including 17,400 children. More than 139,974 people have been injured, and over 14,222 are missing and presumed dead.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.