ISTANBUL/GAZA

The Gaza Strip on Sunday condemned the storming the Handala aid ship by the Israeli military as an act of “naval piracy,” and urged the international community to protect humanitarian convoys heading toward the besieged enclave.

The Gaza Media Office said it “strongly condemns the crime of the Israeli occupation forces storming the solidarity ship ‘Handala’ while it was sailing in international waters as part of a humanitarian mission to break the unjust blockade on the Gaza Strip.”

It called the raid “a blatant act of aggression,” and said it “constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and maritime navigation rules.”

It added: “This confirms once again that the occupation behaves as a rogue force outside the law and targets every humanitarian initiative aiming to rescue over 2.4 million besieged and starving Palestinians in Gaza.”

The media office held Israel responsible for the safety of international activists onboard the vessel and urged the UN and human rights organizations to take “urgent and firm action” to ensure international protection for humanitarian convoys headed to Gaza.

On Saturday, Israeli forces stormed the Handala, which was carrying the activists in an attempt to break the deadly blockade on Gaza.

A live broadcast showed armed soldiers boarding the ship and ordering the activists to raise their hands. Moments later, the broadcast was cut, and the fate of the ship’s crew and passengers remains unknown.

The ship had sent a distress call as Israeli naval forces approached near the coast of Gaza.

The Handala had come within 70 nautical miles of the enclave -- closer than the Mavi Marmara ship that was intercepted in 2010 at 72 miles, and the Maddeline and Al-Dameer ships, which reached 110 and 1,050 miles, respectively, according to the International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza.

The vessel departed from Syracuse, Italy, on July 13 and docked briefly in Gallipoli on July 15 to resolve technical issues before setting sail July 20 with 21 activists on board.

Gaza is enduring one of the worst humanitarian crises in its history, where severe famine is compounded by what Palestinians call a genocide waged by Israel since Oct. 7, 2023.

The closure of border crossings and ban on food and medicine since March 2 has caused widespread starvation and severe malnutrition for children and patients.