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UK Complaint Filed Over Israeli Raid on Humanitarian Ship Handala

Richard Powell  2 min read

The Hind Rajab Foundation has lodged a war crimes complaint with UK authorities over Israel’s armed seizure of the Handala, a British-flagged humanitarian ship intercepted in international waters while en route to Gaza.

The complaint, filed with the Metropolitan Police War Crimes Unit, accuses the Israeli Navy’s elite Shayetet 13 unit and its commander, Vice Admiral David Saar Salama, of grave breaches of international law during the raid on the night of 26–27 July. The Handala was carrying 21 unarmed civilians and a cargo of medical supplies, food, and baby formula when it was forcibly boarded nearly 50 nautical miles off the Gaza coast.

Among those detained by Israeli forces were:

  • Chloé Fiona Ludden, a British humanitarian volunteer
  • Emma Fourreau, a French Member of the European Parliament
  • Gabrielle Cathala, a Member of the French National Assembly
  • Jacob Berger, a Jewish-American activist
  • As well as journalists, lawyers, and aid workers from 12 countries.

All 21 were taken to Israel against their will, in what the Foundation calls an unlawful act of abduction.

The Handala, legally registered under the British flag, is considered an extension of UK territory under international maritime law. The Foundation asserts that the raid violated the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Fourth Geneva Convention, and binding International Court of Justice (ICJ) orders that require unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

"This was an armed assault on British legal territory," said a spokesperson for the Hind Rajab Foundation. "It is not just an attack on aid workers—it is an attack on international law, on British sovereignty, and on the principle that humanitarian relief is not a crime."

The complaint, lodged under the UK’s Geneva Conventions Act 1957 and International Criminal Court Act 2001, calls on British authorities to:

  • Open a criminal investigation into the Israeli operation
  • Identify and interview all passengers, particularly British nationals
  • Pursue arrest warrants for those responsible, including Salama and senior Shayetet 13 officers
  • Collaborate with Interpol and the International Criminal Court to ensure international enforcement.

This incident follows similar confrontations, including the recent seizure of the Madleen and the deadly 2010 Israeli raid on the Mavi Marmara, part of what activists say is a long-standing pattern of criminalizing humanitarian efforts to Gaza.

The Hind Rajab Foundation said it is determined to press for accountability, warning that failure to act sets a dangerous precedent for the erosion of international humanitarian norms.

“Justice must sail where they tried to silence it,” the Foundation declared. “The perpetrators must face consequences—because no state can be above the law.”

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