Israeli naval forces on Saturday night intercepted the Handala, a British-flagged vessel carrying humanitarian supplies and 21 pro-Palestinian activists, as it sailed in international waters toward the Gaza Strip. The boat was escorted to the port of Ashdod, where the passengers — who include nationals from the United States, France, Morocco, Tunisia, Italy and the United Kingdom — remain in custody. Legal advocacy group Adalah said lawyers and consular representatives have not yet been granted access to the detainees. The seizure came as the first aid trucks in weeks began entering Gaza from Egypt. The Egyptian Red Crescent said a convoy of more than 100 lorries loaded with around 1,200 tonnes of food crossed the Rafah gate and proceeded to the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing for inspection before heading to southern Gaza. The movement was enabled by an Israeli-announced “tactical pause” that runs daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in parts of Al-Mawasi, Deir el-Balah and Gaza City, with designated corridors for United Nations and other relief agencies. Israel’s limited opening of land routes and renewed air-drops follows weeks of mounting international pressure over Gaza’s worsening hunger crisis. More than 100 humanitarian organisations have warned that famine is imminent, while UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini has criticised air supply operations as costly and inefficient. Gaza’s health ministry says the death toll from the nine-month conflict has risen above 59,700, the majority women and children.