After a previous attempt failed because of a drone attack on a different ship in the Mediterranean, the international nonprofit Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) reported that one of its ships has left Sicily to send humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Greta Thunberg, a climate activist in Sweden, Liam Cunningham, an Irish actor, and Rima Hassan, a member of the 12-person crew, set sail on the Madleen on Sunday from the port of Catania, carrying “limited amounts, though symbolic,” of relief supplies.
The Conscience, another vessel owned by the group, was hit by two drones early in May just outside Maltese territorial waters, making the voyage possible. FFC acknowledged that Israel was to blame for the incident, but it has not responded to inquiries for comment.
At a press conference prior to the departure, Thunberg stated that “we are doing this because no matter what the odds are, we have to keep trying,” adding that the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity. The Conscience was scheduled to take the Swedish climate activist.
She continued, “No matter how dangerous this mission is, the silence of the entire world in the face of the lives being genocized” (p.
We are urging people to mobilize to help massively the humanitarian navire of @GazaFFlotilla, #GretaThunberg, and #GretaThunberg! The only way to ensure our safety is through this. 🙏 pic. Twitter.com/Twitter.com/DUJbkRdPZ
If they are not stopped, the activists anticipate it will take them seven days to arrive at their destination.
A non-violent international movement supporting Palestinians called the FCC, which combines political protest with humanitarian aid, to protest the blockade on Gaza.
The trip, according to the statement, “is not charity.” To protest Israel’s ongoing war crimes and its illegal siege, this is a direct, non-violent action.
UN agencies and significant aid organizations claim that Gaza’s roughly two million residents are incredibly reliant on Israeli restrictions, the collapse of law and order, and widespread looting.
Despite a resumed drop in aid deliveries in the Palestinian enclave, the UN reported on Friday that the situation in Gaza is at its worst since the start of the Israeli-Hamas conflict 19 months ago.
Israel’s 11-week blockade of Gaza was lifted on May 19 amid growing international pressure, allowing only sporadically limited UN-led operations to resume.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is supported by the United States and Israel, opened a new channel of aid on Monday, with UN and international aid organizations objecting because it is unbalanced and has a distribution model that forces Palestinians to flee.
Israel has just recently come under fire from the FCC, one of whom vehemently refutes Israel’s claims of genocidal behavior during its war in Gaza.
The activist Thiago Avila said, “We are breaking the siege of Gaza by sea, but that’s part of a broader strategy of mobilisations that will attempt to break the siege by land.”
Source: Aljazeera
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