The Hanthala Association expresses its strong condemnation and deep denunciation of the attack that targeted the ship “Global Conscience,” one of the vessels of the “Freedom Flotilla,” while it was sailing in international waters en route to the Gaza Strip. This unprecedented crime targeted international solidarity activists who oppose the genocide and starvation policies imposed on the Palestinian people in Gaza by the occupation.
The Hanthala Association holds the Israeli occupation authorities fully responsible for this attack, which constitutes again a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and fundamental human rights. This attack reaffirms the occupation’s ongoing policy of targeting civilians, activists, and international solidarity workers in an attempt to suppress the truth and silence voices advocating for justice.
The Hanthala Association values the courage of the activists and their noble humanitarian efforts in showing solidarity with the residents of Gaza. It emphasizes that this brutal assault is a blatant aggression against peaceful civil and humanitarian work and reflects the Israeli occupation authorities’ disregard for international law and the global community.
In this context, the Hanthala Association calls on the European Union to launch a comprehensive investigation into the incident and its circumstances and to take decisive actions against those responsible.
The Association also urges the International Criminal Court to immediately include this attack in its ongoing investigations into crimes committed in the Palestinian territories and to classify it as a full-fledged war crime against civilian activists on a humanitarian mission.
Furthermore, the Hanthala Association calls on the United Nations to uphold its legal and moral responsibilities to maintain international peace and security, to condemn this assault, to dispatch international fact-finding missions to investigate the circumstances of the attack, and to take deterrent measures that put an end to Israel’s repeated violations on land, sea, and air.
The continued international silence regarding repeated crimes against the Palestinian people and their supporters provides a cover for impunity and paves the way for the recurrence of such crimes.
In light of this crime, the Hanthala Association calls on all free people around the world to act urgently and pressure their governments and representatives to stop this ongoing assault on international law and human conscience.
Hanthala Association
Brussels, Belgium
May 2, 2025
