Foreign activists detained by Israeli forces after the assault on the Gaza-bound Handala aid ship have launched a hunger strike in protest against what they call unlawful aggression in international waters.

“Most of them remain on an open-ended hunger strike to protest their forced detention,” the Adalah legal center, based in the occupied Palestinian territories, said in a statement Monday.

The activists are refusing food until their immediate release and the continuation of their mission to deliver life-saving aid to the besieged Gaza Strip.

Court hearings for the detainees are scheduled at Givon Prison in Ramla. Adalah condemned Israel’s actions, stating: “The continued detention of these civilian activists, who were forcibly taken from international waters, constitutes a serious breach of international law.”

Five of the activists are reportedly set to be deported in the coming hours, while others remain imprisoned for opposing Israel’s unlawful blockade.

The Handala, loaded with baby formula, food, and medicine, was on a humanitarian mission when it was intercepted by Israeli naval forces near the Gaza coast on Saturday night. The vessel carried 21 activists, including lawmakers, doctors, and volunteers determined to deliver aid to Gaza’s 2.4 million residents, who are enduring catastrophic shortages under the suffocating siege.

A legal team representing the detainees demanded their unconditional release and the return of the Handala to complete its delivery. They emphasized that Israel has no jurisdiction over the case, as the ship was seized in international waters.

The lawyers also denounced Israel’s labeling of the activists as “illegal infiltrators” after forcibly transferring them from international waters to Israeli-occupied territory, describing the move as an abuse of maritime and humanitarian law.

Organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), the Handala sailed from Italy in defiance of the months-long Israeli blockade, which has driven Gaza to the edge of famine. Activists vowed that their mission will continue until the blockade is broken and the people of Gaza receive the aid they desperately need. (ILKHA)