Drones “shadow” Gaza aid flotilla leaving Tunisian waters
Activists have said drones shadowed the Sumud flotilla as the fleet of ships passed out of Tunisian waters, and urged people to protest in the streets against Israel’s blockade on Gaza, The New Arab reported on September 17th.
On September 16th, one of the final boats of the flotilla left Sidi Bou Said, a town 20km north of Tunis. It contained a dozen participants who had sorted out their paperwork to join the rest of the convoy in international waters.
The flotilla consists of almost 30 boats carrying people from over 40 countries, including public figures like Greta Thunberg and the grandson of Nelson Mandela, Mandla Mandela.
On the night they left Tunisia, according to Wael Naouar, one of the Maghreb flotilla’s organisers, drones trailed the boats. Fortunately, no attack was reported.
Naouar has said: “It was a hard night. It was windy. But we’re close to Malta, where we will meet with other boats to continue our journey to Gaza.”
The flotilla has already purportedly faced two drone attacks on its vessels. The Tunisian interior Ministry has said the assault was “orchestrated” but never said who it was “orchestrated” by. Israel’s military never responded to a request for a comment.
The attacked boats included a vessel carrying Thunberg and French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan.
Moroccan activist Ahmed Ouihmane, another member of the fleet, said: “There seemed to be huge pressure from entities that didn’t want this mission to succeed.”
The voyage of the flotilla marks a collective effort by civilians across the globe to break Israel’s naval blockade on Gaza. The flotilla carries humanitarian aid which it hopes to deliver to the Palestinian people to circumvent the “man-made” famine Israel has brought to Gaza.
The New Arab, Maghrebi.org
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