Largest Gaza-bound flotilla to challenge Israel's aid blockade
The largest Gaza-bound freedom flotilla carrying humanitarian aid and activists is set to depart Barcelona on Sunday in an attempt to break Israel’s blockade of the besieged Gaza Strip.
The mission, called the Global "Sumud" Flotilla, brings together more than 50 vessels from 44 countries, is carrying humanitarian aid and international activists in a bid to challenge Israel’s naval blockade, which has repeatedly thwarted past efforts to reach Gaza by sea.
According to organizers, around 15,000 supporters have signed up to join the Gaza-bound mission.
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Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg is among those expected to join the voyage.
Turkish-German activist Yasemin Acar, a member of the flotilla’s leading committee, said the group was “determined to break the siege.”
"The ball was in politicians' court to put pressure on Israel to let the flotilla through," said Saif Abukeshek, one of the organizers.
Flotilla organizers have described Sunday’s sailing as the largest maritime civilian mission of its kind since the Israeli blockade began on the strip.
They emphasized that the aid ship is not only logistical, but it is also symbolic.
“Our boats carry more than aid. They carry a message: the siege must end. The greater danger lies not in confronting Israel at sea, but in allowing genocide to continue with impunity.”
Earlier this year, Handala and Madleen, two of the Freedom Flotilla’s flagship vessels, also set sail in an attempt to break the blockade of Gaza.
The vessels were attacked by drones and stormed by Israeli forces. Activists were beaten, kidnapped and deported. Many went on hunger strike to protest their detention.
Freedom flotillas have repeatedly tried to reach Gaza over the past 15 years. In 2010, Israeli forces boarded a Freedom Flotilla including the ship Turkish Mavi Marmara, killing ten activists.
Since March 2, when Israel violated its ceasefire agreement with Hamas, the regime has sealed all border crossings, blocking the entry of humanitarian aid and further deepening Gaza’s already dire humanitarian crisis.
The total number of hunger-related deaths in the strip has reached 322, including 121 children.
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