After months of an Israeli-imposed blockade on the besieged Gaza Strip, Palestine, activists have organised a Freedom Flotilla 2.0 to break the blockade. The ship will carry tonnes of aid, with nearly 1 000 people on board.
Before departing for Gaza from Istanbul, Turkiye, the Akdeniz will transport at least 5 500 tonnes of aid. The effort is being compared to a previous one, in 2010, which saw 10 people killed after it was intercepted by apartheid authorities.
Addressing reporters on Thursday, human rights lawyer and activist Huwaida Arraf said those aboard were prepared to engage in nonviolent resistance should Israel obstruct their mission.
“While we recognize Israel’s potential for intercepting the mission, we hope for a peaceful outcome. If they choose to attack, those on board are prepared to engage in nonviolent resistance,” she said.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) is expected to depart in the coming days. It was established through the work of civil society organisations from 12 different countries with the aim to “break the siege”, according to the Turkish-based IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation.
SMread: Activists worldwide unite for Palestinian Prisoners’ Day
Stop the genocide
More than six months into the War of Extermination waged against Gaza’s people, activists worldwide have raised the alarm over genocidal atrocities perpetrated by the Zionist state. South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) brought this concern to light in January.
Retired US army Colonel Ann Wright, one of the chief organisers of the FFC, told TNA the objective was to get much-needed aid to the concentration camp.
“Our message to the people of Gaza is that we love you and are trying desperately to stop this genocide…To the Israeli people, I say you have a responsibility to stop your government’s genocide of Palestinians,” she said.
As an US diplomat who resigned in protest against the Iraq War, she said: “I know the propaganda that comes from governments at war, having been a former US diplomat. But what’s happening in Gaza is genocide, and when you see what your government has done, you’ll be horrified”.
A top United Nation official appealed for €2.6 billion on Tuesday to provide desperately needed aid to three million Palestinians, stressing that preventing a looming famine in war-torn Gaza requires not only food but sanitation, water and health facilities, reported Euronews.
