Catania, Italy
AP
–
Climate activist Greta Samberg and 11 other activists set sail for Gaza on a ship aimed at “breaking the siege of Israel” on a devastated territory Sunday afternoon, organizers said.
Sailing boat Madleen is run by the activist group Freedom Frotira – departing from the port of Catania in Sicily, southern Italy.
Activists said at a press conference on Sunday before they left that they would try to reach the coast of the Gaza Strip to bring aid to the ongoing humanitarian crisis and raise “international awareness.”
“We’re doing this because no matter how much we oppose it, we have to keep trying,” Samberg shed tears during her speech.
“The moment we stop trying is when we lose humanity, and no matter how dangerous this mission is, it’s not as dangerous as the silence of the world facing live-streamed genocide,” she added.
Established in the aftermath of the Holocaust, Israel has defied genocide allegations against it as an anti-Semitic “bloody defamation.”
In mid-May, Israel eased Gaza’s lockdown slightly after nearly three months, allowing the territory a limited amount of humanitarian assistance.
Experts warn Gaza is at risk of hunger if more assistance is not brought in.
Due to Israeli restrictions, breakdowns of law and order, and extensive looting, it is extremely difficult for UN agencies and major aid organizations to deliver aid to the roughly 2 million Palestinians in Gaza.
Joining the Madleen crew are “Game of Thrones” actor Liam Cunningham and Lima Hassan, a French member of the Palestinian European Parliament. She has been forbidden from entering Israel due to her aggressive opposition to Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Activists expect that if they don’t stop, it will take seven days to reach their destination.
After organising a massive teenage protest in his hometown of Sweden, Samberg, who became an internationally renowned climate activist, was scheduled to board a Fleet ship of Freedom before last month.
An attempt to reach Gaza by sea in early May failed after another ship in the group, “Conscience,” was attacked on suspicion of two drones while sailing in international waters off the coast of Malta.
The group denounced Israel for attacks that damaged the ship’s frontlines in the latest conflict over efforts to send support to Palestinian territory, which had been ravaged by the war for nearly 19 months.
The Israeli government has said the lockdown was an attempt to put pressure on Hamas and an attack that sparked a conflict to release the hostages that took place on October 7, 2023. Hamas-led extremists assaulted southern Israel that day, killing around 1,200 mainly civilians and acquiring 251 people.
In response, Israel launched an attack that killed more than 52,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which does not distinguish fighter jets and civilians. Israeli artillery bombardment and ground operations destroyed vast areas of the territory, making most of its population homeless.
The Flotilla group was the latest to see an increasing number of critics accusing Israel of being a genocide in the war in Gaza. Israel has vehemently denied the allegations, saying that the war is directed at Hamas extremists, not Gaza civilians.
“We will break the siege of Gaza at sea, but that is part of a broader strategy of mobilization to break the siege on the land,” said activist Thiago Avila.
Avila is headed towards Gaza in the upcoming global March. This is an international initiative that is open to doctors, lawyers and the media. This leaves Egypt and reaches the Rafa intersection in mid-June, calling for Israel to stop the attack and resume its border.
