Gaza: Activists set sail to defy Israel’s blockade
Among the heat of war that rages throughout Gaza, peace activists from several countries are preparing to defy an Israel blockade and deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians who are currently suffering in the Gaza Strip, reports Reuters on August 16th.
Fellipe Lopes, the Portuguese media coordinator of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition on board the ship named “Handala,” said that “the purpose of this mission is to send a message that civil society is not OK with what’s happening in Gaza.”
“Ours is not an illegal activity in any shape or form. The International Court of Justice has asked them to grant unfettered access to aid into Gaza and I implore them to let us and other aids through immediately,” he said.
READ: UN Security Council to meet after ICJ ruling
The brightly coloured “Handala” carries activists from Italy, France, Norway, Australia, the Netherlands, Syria and many Palestinians.
Its hull carries slogans reading: “Free Palestine”, “Gaza you are not alone” and “Stop the Genocide”, while its humanitarian aid cargo consists mostly of medicines.
It has made several port calls around Scandinavia and the Mediterranean to raise awareness about the situation in Gaza, pleading for help to anyone who will listen.
The passengers on the trip are hopeful but remain vigilant as they are expecting danger. Similarly, another coalition ship on a similar mission to Gaza in 2010 was stopped and boarded by Israeli troops where nine activists were killed.
“We expect to encounter resistance throughout our mission,” said Australian activist, Michael Coleman.
Ann Wright, a previous activist who was on board the coalition ship that was boarded by Israeli troops in 2010, stated that “these people are very brave, because we don’t know what’s going to happen. If the Israelis stop them, we know it’ll be brutal,”
READ: UN slams Israel for Gaza war crimes – report
The trip along the Eastern Mediterranean to Gaza will take a week but organisers said they might stop over in another harbour on the way.
Israel’s blockade, bombardment, and invasion of Gaza was in retaliation to an October 7th Hamas attack on southern Israel that killed 1,139 people, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli social security data.
However, since the attack, Haaretz has revealed the findings of an investigation claiming that many of the Israelis included in the October 7th death toll were killed by Israel Defence Forces (IDF) tank and helicopter fire.
Israel’s offensive has killed over 40,000 people to date, according to Aljazeera, with many unaccounted for under the ruins.
Reuters.
