The aid ship “Handala”, representing a multinational initiative to challenge the Israeli blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid to a population facing famine, reported on Thursday a disruption in communications that lasted nearly two hours, during which drones were observed nearby. Despite the interruption, the vessel—part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition—regained contact and continues its course toward the enclave’s coast. A total of 21 individuals from 10 countries are on board, including lawmakers, journalists, and human rights defenders.

RELATED: Once Again, the Freedom Flotilla Sets Sail for Gaza

This event raised alarms about the vessel’s safety, considering recent precedents, such as the drone attack on the MV Conscience near Malta in May, or the kidnapping of the Madleen in June—another humanitarian ship—during which Zionist forces detained 12 activists.

Activist Tan Safi, aboard the ship, explained in a video that the crew was unaware that the outage coincided with a global interruption of the Starlink satellite service, owned by Elon Musk.

Activist Tan Safi, aboard the ship, explained in a video that the crew was unaware that the outage coincided with a global interruption of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite service. According to Safi, some experts are investigating because this is unusual, and she pointed out that it wouldn’t be the first time Elon has worked with Israel. Subsequently, Starlink assured that it was a global service outage, which was resolved within a few hours

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday warned that the crisis in the Gaza Strip has escalated beyond humanitarian dimensions, calling it “a moral crisis that challenges the global conscience.”

He denounced ongoing violations of international law, including “the relentless Israeli onslaught on Gaza,” and stressed that “nothing can justify the explosion of death and destruction” since Oct. 7.

IN THIS ARTICLE