Climate activist Greta Thunberg and eleven other activists boarded on Sunday from the south of Italy in an effort to breach Israel’s sea blockade of Gaza and bring in humanitarian supplies. The ship Madleen, run by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, left the port of Catania on the island of Sicily and hopes to arrive off Gaza’s coast within a week barring interception.
Speaking in tears at a departing press conference, Thunberg stated, “Whatever odds we are against, we must keep trying. The moment that we stop trying is the moment when we lose our humanity.” She further stated that the risks of the mission are small in relation to “the world’s silence in the face of live-streamed genocide.
Israel has automatically denounced genocide charges as antisemitic propaganda, claiming that it is attacking Hamas fighters, not the civilian population. In response to the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led assault on southern Israel, which killed approximately 1,200 and resulted in the kidnapping of 251, Israel launched a military campaign that Gaza health officials report has killed over 52,000 individuals, many of whom were women and children.
Among the passengers are Game of Thrones star Liam Cunningham and French MEP Rima Hassan, a Palestinian-descendant who is banned from entering Israel because of her political views. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s last bid to arrive in Gaza by sea was thwarted last month when another ship, Conscience, was allegedly attacked by drones in international waters off Malta.
More protests are planned by activists, such as the “Global March to Gaza,” an on-ground drive from doctors, lawyers, and journalists reaching the Rafah crossing in mid-June. Organizers hope that such initiatives will put pressure on Israel to relax restrictions and let life-saving aid into Gaza.
Despite Israeli justification of the blockade as a tool against Hamas, aid groups alert that Gaza is poised for famine as humanitarian situation worsens.
