Three ships with 5,500 tons of humanitarian aid and approx 1,000 activists from all over the world, are expected to depart in the coming days from Constantinople, with destination Gaza Strip.
The mission, namely “Freedom Flotilla Coalition”, under the auspices of the Turkish Foundation for Humanitarian Aid (IHH), has a goal to ‘break’ the naval blockade of the Palestinian enclave from Israel for more than 15 years, as well as providing tons of food and medical supplies to the population of Gaza, threatened by generalized famine.
It is noted that the maritime blockade of Gaza was imposed by Israel in cooperation with neighboring Egypt, when Hamas came to power in 2007, in order to prevent the organization from being equipped.
According to an announcement by the IHH, three ships, two trucks, which will carry humanitarian aid and a passenger car with thousands of activists, aid workers and journalists while at a later stage, they may leave additional ships from other parts of Turkey, in order to join and reinforce the convoy.
“It is about a emergency dispatch, as the situation in Gaza is dire. The policy of the Israeli government results in the Palestinian people starving. Time is of the essence, as officials predict that starvation and disease could claim more lives than those lost in the bombings.” states the international organization “Freedom Flotilla Coalition” on its website. And he adds,
“Israel has long violated its responsibility as the occupying power to ensure the health and well-being of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Now, Israeli military and political leaders have repeatedly stated their intention to collectively punish the entire population of Gaza, among others refusing to give them food, water and medical assistance. We therefore reject Israeli control over humanitarian aid that may enter the Palestinian enclave and reject any Israeli inspection of our cargo.”
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In the last days and as the date of departure of the flotilla from the port of Tuzla to Constantinople approaches, with the most likely date on Wednesday, April 26more and more activists of all ages, are trying to make the campaign known with video on social media, in order to draw public attention to both the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the mission, as the risks emanating from the Israeli military forces are numerous.
“We are preparing to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and to show our solidarity, to tell all Palestinians that we are with you. We hope that the Israelis will not stop us and that we will complete our mission. We will not stop until all Palestinians are free again.” said one of the activists participating in the mission in her TikTok post.
“Over a thousand people from 36 countries of the world are going to travel to Gaza. And this was made possible thanks to the donations of four million people. We are under no illusions that the humanitarian aid mission will stop the Israeli-instigated starvation. It is, however, a gesture of solidarity with the Palestinians. We will try to get as close as possible. If we fail and they kidnap us, it will be proof that the Israeli regime does not allow humanitarian aid to reach Gaza.
Please follow the progress of our shipment through our website. It is possible that we will go off the radar, as it is possible that Israel will cut off communication. It will not necessarily mean that we are in danger. But if we are kidnapped by members of the israeli navy, we will issue an SOS. If this happens, please contact Israeli consulates and embassies or anyone who is believed to be able to assist in our release.” activist Sarah Wilkinson pointed out.
The Israel for his part, according to a related report by Channel 12, he said earlier last week that he hopes “the flotilla that is about to sail to Gaza, and has already been delayed several times, to be postponed indefinitely”.
“We understand that Israel can attack us… With all eyes on our ships, we hope Israel will decide not to. But if he does, the people on board will be trained in nonviolent resistance.”he emphasized speaking to Reutersthe human rights lawyer and Palestinian rights activist, Huwaida Arraf.
It is recalled that the May 2010 a similar mission of the international coalition “Gaza Freedom Flotilla”, which attempted to violate the sea blockade of Gaza and reach the Palestinian territories, was intercepted by forces of the Israeli navy.
Specifically, Israeli commandos boarded one of the expedition’s ships, the Mavi Marmara, which was carrying over 600 passengers, they opened fire, killing 9 activists and injuring sixty others.
