Catania, Italy (AP) – climate athlete Greta Thunberg and 11 other militants set sail in Gaza on Sunday afternoon on a ship aimed at “destroying Israel’s siege attack”, organizers said.
The sailing ship Madleen, operated by the militant organization Freedom Flotilla Alliance, sets off from the port of Catania, a Sicily port in southern Italy.
The activists said in a press conference on Sunday that it will try to reach the coast of the Gaza Strip in order to introduce some aid and raise “international awareness” about the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
“We do this because, no matter what odds we oppose, we have to keep working hard,” Dunberg cried during his speech.
She added: “Because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity. No matter how dangerous the mission is, it is not even as dangerous as the silence of the whole world facing the on-site genocide.”
Israel has been firmly rejecting genocide charges after the Holocaust, with an opposition to “blood slander”.
In mid-May, Israel relaxed its blockade on Gaza a little after nearly three months, leaving the territory limited humanitarian aid.
Experts warn that without further aid, Gaza is at risk of famine.
UN agencies and major aid organizations say Israeli restrictions, the collapse of law and order, and widespread robbery make it extremely difficult to provide assistance to approximately 2 million Palestinians in Gaza.
Among those who joined the crew of Madleen are “Game of Thrones” actors Liam Cunningham and Rima Hassan, who are members of the European Parliament of Palestinian descent. She was banned from entering Israel because she actively opposed Israeli attacks on Gaza.
The activists expect that if they don't stop, they will take seven days to reach their destination.
Thunberg, who became an internationally renowned climate activist after her native Sweden organized a massive youth protest, landed on a free fleet last month.
In early May, another of the group's ship, Conscience, failed to reach Gaza in early May, and two alleged drones attacked while sailing in international waters along the coast of Malta.
The group accused the Israeli attack of causing an attack that damaged the front of the ship, which was in the latest confrontation, endeavored to provide assistance to the Palestinian territory, which has been confronted with nearly 19 months of war.
The Israeli government said the lockdown was an attempt to release the hostages to Hamas from its October 7, 2023 attack, which sparked conflict. That day, militants led by Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped 251 people. Hamas still caught 58 people, 23 of whom were considered alive.
In response, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, Israel launched an offensive that killed more than 52,000 Palestinians, mainly women and children, and the ministry did not distinguish between combatants and civilians. Israel’s bombing and ground operations destroyed a vast area of the territory and left most of its population homeless.
As more and more critics accuse Israel of war in Gaza, the Flotilla group is just the latest critic among the growing number of critics. Israel strongly denied the allegations, saying its war was targeted at Hamas militants, not Gaza civilians.
“We are breaking the siege of Gaza at sea, but it is part of a broader strategy for mobilization, which will also try to break the siege through land,” said activist Thiago Avila.
Avila cited the upcoming global march in Gaza, which has also opened an international initiative to doctors, lawyers and the media that will leave Egypt and arrive in mid-June to Rafah where protests are demanding Israel to stop Gaza's offensive and reopen the border.
