Maeve Higgins: The ship that left Cobh to help the fight for Palestinian freedom

Handala is part of the Freedom Flotilla, a project of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition made up of civil society organisations and grassroots groups across the globe who use non-violent tactics to physically challenge Israel’s illegal blockade of Gaza

Handala of the Freedom Flotilla Mission leaving Santander, Spain. The ship is visiting European cities in protest against genocide in the Gaza Strip, before trying to break the Israeli siege of the strip and carrying humanitarian aid. Picture: Celestino Arce/NurPhoto/Getty

ON JUNE 10, a wave of deep emotion engulfed a group of us standing on Kennedy Pier as we watched the ship Handala leave Cobh.

The former fishing vessel once worked the waters off the Norwegian coast, but she is on a solidarity mission now, headed ultimately toward Gaza.