File Photo: The Israeli navy has brought the activist boat the Handala, seen here before its departure from Sicily earlier this month, to the port of Ashdod. AFP
The 21 activists from 10 countries were taken into custody late Saturday when Israel intercepted the Handala in international waters.
The aid boat set sail with the stated aim of breaching Israel's deadly humanitarian blockade of Gaza, now approaching its fifth month.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which organized the voyage, described the cargo as life-saving aid for Gaza’s 2.4 million people, suffering under Israeli blockade imposed on 2 March.
More than 100 aid organisations have already warned that "mass starvation" was spreading across the Palestinian territory amid health system collapse caused by Israel’s blockade, with severe shortages of food, clean water, medicine and fuel.
Following its interception, the Handala and its crew from the FFC were brought to the port of Ashdod in Israel, where, according to the legal rights centre Adalah, all but two -- a pair of dual US-Israeli nationals -- were being held under Israeli immigration law.
The Handala’s crew have said they would immediately begin a hunger strike if detained.
The interception in international waters marked the third time this year Israeli forces have stopped Freedom Flotilla vessels attempting to break Israel’s blockade by delivering aid to Gaza by sea.
"Israel is handling the custody of the volunteers as though they had entered the country illegally -- even though they were forcibly taken from international waters and brought into Israel against their will," Adalah said in a statement after its lawyers were allowed to meet the detainees.
"The authorities presented them with two options: either agree to so-called 'voluntary deportation', or remain in detention and appear before a tribunal, to have their continued detention pending deportation reviewed," the statement continued.
According to Adalah, three detainees -- an Italian, an American and a French member of parliament, Gabrielle Cathala -- agreed to be deported and are expected to leave Israel in the coming hours.
The US-Israeli nationals were interrogated by Israeli police and released, while 12 international activists -- including another left-wing French MP, Emma Fourreau -- refused to sign voluntary deportation orders and are still in Israeli custody pending legal hearings.
The remaining four detainees, including a pair of Al Jazeera journalists, have retained private counsel.
'Peaceful' mission
Adalah reiterated that the activists were engaged in a "peaceful civilian mission", and maintained that both their detention and the Israeli blockade of Gaza were illegal.
The Israeli foreign ministry has said the navy stopped the Handala to prevent it from entering coastal waters off Gaza, noting after its intecerption that all the vessel's "passengers are safe".
Just before midnight local time on Saturday, video streamed live from the Handala showed Israeli troops boarding the vessel. An online tracker showed the ship in international waters west of Gaza.
The ship had been on course to try to break the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza and bring a small quantity of life-saving humanitarian aid to the territory's Palestinian residents.
The Handala's crew had said before their capture in a post on X that they would go on hunger strike if the Israeli military intercepted the boat and detained its passengers.
A previous boat sent by Freedom Flotilla, the Madleen, was also intercepted by the Israeli military in international waters on 9 June and towed to Ashdod.
It carried 12 campaigners, including prominent Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. The activists were eventually expelled by Israel.
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