The ten ships set sail from Sicily on Saturday. On board are a total of around 60 people, including politicians.
”Our boats are largely loaded with medical aids, dried food and school materials because this was particularly requested by Palestinians on the spot”, says Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), the organization behind the sailing, in a statement.
The plan is to converge with Global Sumud Flotilla – which includes Greta Thunberg and several hundred other activists, journalists and parliamentarians from different countries – which is currently located off the coast of Crete. Like the activists from Sicily, Global Sumud Flotilla has also loaded their ships with food and other necessities to be delivered to the Gaza Strip.
From the Israeli side, they have escalated their rhetoric against the flotilla over the past week, which they claim has ties to Hamas.
Israel has maintained a land, sea and air blockade of the Gaza Strip for many years. During the ongoing war, Israel has at times completely blocked emergency aid to the territory, which has contributed to the, according to the UN, fully developed famine that prevails in Gaza City and its surroundings.
Two previous attempts by activists to reach Gaza by sea this summer were stopped by Israel.
