On July 26, the Israeli army boarded the ship Handala in international waters and arrested the 19 activists and two journalists on board. On board was also the deputy main coordinator of ICOR, Hatem Laouini. The ICOR strongly condemns this act of piracy on the open sea.

At its 5th World Conference in September 2024, the ICOR adopted a comprehensive program of solidarity with the Palestinian liberation struggle. Its solidarity with the Handala Mission is part of the manifold actions at demonstrations, in declarations and discussions, in practical humanitarian aid and in building a large brigade to rebuild the Al-Awda hospital in Gaza. It is closely linked to the people of Gaza and the West Bank itself, whose will to survive and resist occupation and war will never be broken. The wheel of history for the liberation of Palestine cannot be stopped. But there must be an end NOW to all the brutal mass sacrifices for this freedom.

The Handala boat was on its way to Gaza with urgently needed supplies. The activists are unarmed and their action is legal. The people of Gaza are starving because the Israeli army is blocking all aid deliveries at the border. This genocide must be stopped immediately!

The ICOR calls on all organizations to position themselves and send their statements to the ICOR immediately for publication! It also supports the call of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (https://freedomflotilla.org/) to write to the foreign ministries of the 12 countries of origin of the activists and demand that they campaign for their release. We call on all ICOR organizations to support the Handala mission and to use it for broad publicity and educational work. As before, stand in defense of our Deputy Chief Coordinator Hatem and write to the Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs(email:dinf@diplomatie.gov.tn oremail.dct@diplomatie.gov.tn or the Tunisian embassy in your countries.

Immediate release of the 21 activists and journalists, the ship Handala and the relief supplies on board!

Free passage of the Handala to Gaza!

Immediate unconditional ceasefire and lifting of the blockade of Gaza!

Immediate withdrawal of all Israeli troops from Gaza and the West Bank!

Immediate cessation of all arms deliveries by the imperialist countries to the fascist-Zionist Israeli government!

Break off diplomatic and trade relations with Israel!

Long live the heroic struggle of the Palestinian people and international solidarity!

Freedom and democracy for Palestine!

Appendix:

Hatem Laouini published a video shortly before his arrest (https://fb.watch/B5xjpLQqwU/). In it he says:

My family, my loved ones, my comrades, my girlfriends, my friends, I greet you.

If you see this video, it means that the Handala ship was intercepted by the Zionist forces or by forces that support them and are involved in the genocide, and that we were arrested. Perhaps even the worst has happened to us.

Our blood is no more precious than that of the martyrs, heroes and leaders who sacrificed their lives for Gaza, for Palestine and for national liberation.

And if we have been arrested, we are neither more precious nor more important than the prisoners in the jails of the occupying power - leaders, resistance fighters, Palestinian fighters.

But we call on you to support us: To support Handala, to support its entire occupation, and to support me personally, Hatem Laouini, by reaching out to the Tunisian government, putting pressure on them and demanding my release.

Tunisia does not have diplomatic relations with the Zionist entity, thank God. But the Tunisian government has a responsibility to ensure the safety of all its citizens.

That is why I call on you to act. But even more important than all this is to act on the ground, to fight so that my detention serves Gaza and draws attention to Gaza.

Long live Palestine, free and proud forever.

Glory and eternity to the martyrs.

Freedom for Gaza.

For the lifting of the blockade on Gaza.

For an end to the genocidal war against Gaza.

The addresses of the Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs are:

dinf@diplomatie.gov.tn or email.dct@diplomatie.gov.tn

Instagram: @tunisiediplo

Facebook: @TunisieDiplo

Further signatories possible

• CPK Communist Party of Kenya

• MMLPL Moroccan Marxist-Leninist Proletarian Line

• PPDS Parti Patriotique Démocratique Socialiste (Patriotic Democratic Socialist Party), Tunisia

• NCP (Mashal) Nepal Communist Party (Mashal)

• CPA/ML Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist)

• БКП Българска Комунистическа Партия (Bulgarian Communist Party)

• MLPD Marxistisch-Leninistische Partei Deutschlands (Marxist-Leninist Party of Germany)

• UPML Union Prolétarienne Marxiste-Léniniste (Marxist-Leninist Proletarian Union), France

• RM Rode Morgen (Red Dawn), Netherlands

• UMLP União Marxista-Leninista Portuguesa (Portuguese Marxist-Leninist Union)

• MLGS Marxistisch-Leninistische Gruppe Schweiz (Marxist-Leninist Group of Switzerland)

• TKP-ML Türkiye Komünist Partisi – Marksist-Leninist (Communist Party of Turkey – Marxist-Leninist)

• MLKP Marksist Leninist Komünist Parti Türkiye / Kürdistan (Marxist Leninist Communist Party Turkey / Kurdistan)

• PCC-M Partido Comunista de Colombia – Maoista (Communist Party of Colombia - Maoist)

• PC (ML) Partido Comunista (Marxista Leninista) (Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist)), Dominican Republic

• SUCI (C) Socialist Unity Center of India (Communist)

• Chinese Communists (MLM) Chinese Communists (Marxist Leninist Maoist)

• Krasnyj Klin Аб'яднання беларускіх камуністаў «Чырвоны Клін» (Association des communistes biélorusses "Coin Rouge" ), Bélarus

• RMP Российская маоистская партия (Rossijskaya maoistskaya partiya) (Russian Maoist Party)

• PCR-U Partido Comunista Revolucionario del Uruguay (Revolutionary Communist Party of Uruguay)

• ORC Organisation Révolutionnaire du Congo (Revolutionary Organization of Congo), Democratic Republic of the Congo

• BP (NK-T) Bolşevik Parti (Kuzey Kürdistan-Türkiye) (Bolshevik Party (North Kurdistan-Turkey))

• OAPCM Organización Apoyante del Partido Comunista de México (Supporting Organization of the Communist Party of Mexico)

• ORC Organisation Révolutionnaire du Congo (Revolutionary Organization of Congo), Democratic Republic of the Congo

• MMLPL Moroccan Marxist-Leninist Proletarian Line

• CPSA (ML) Communist Party of South Africa (Marxist-Leninist)

• PR-ByH Partija Rada - ByH (Party of Labor - Bosnia and Herzegovina)

• PCP (independiente) Partido Comunista Paraguayo (independiente) (Paraguayan Communist Party (independent))

• RUFN Revolutionary United Front of Nepal

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