close
close

Pro-Palestinian activists prepare to invade Gaza despite Israeli blockade

Peace activists from several countries set out on a converted trawler to bypass an Israeli blockade and deliver humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

“The purpose of this mission is to send the message that civil society does not agree with what is happening in Gaza,” said Fellipe Lopes, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition's Portuguese media coordinator aboard the ship Handala during a stopover in Malta.

It will be a journey fraught with danger. Another coalition ship on a similar mission to Gaza was stopped and boarded by Israeli forces in 2010, killing nine activists. Other ships have been stopped and boarded in a similar manner, with no loss of life.

“We expect to face resistance throughout our mission,” said Australian activist Michael Coleman.

“Our activities are in no way illegal. The International Court of Justice has ordered them to allow humanitarian aid unhindered access to Gaza and I implore them to let us and other humanitarian aid pass immediately,” he said.

An activist boards the Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship “Handala” as it prepares to depart for Gaza to break a long-standing Israeli blockade and deliver humanitarian aid amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Marsa, Malta, August 16, 2024. (Source: DARRIN ZAMMIT LUPI/REUTERS)

Attempts to enter the Gaza Strip by sea

The Handala was visited in Malta by 78-year-old retired US colonel and diplomat Ann Wright, who was on board another coalition ship that was boarded by Israeli forces in 2010, killing nine activists.

“These people are very brave because we don't know what will happen. If the Israelis stop them, we know it will be brutal,” Wright said.

On board the colorful Handala are activists from Italy, France, Norway, Australia, the Netherlands, Syria and a number of Palestinians. It has called at several ports in Scandinavia and the Mediterranean to draw attention to the situation in Gaza.

Slogans such as “Free Palestine”, “Gaza, you are not alone” and “Stop the genocide” are written on its hull, while its humanitarian cargo consists mainly of medicines.

The journey through the eastern Mediterranean to Gaza will take a week, but organizers said they may stop at another port along the way.



You may also like...