Freedom Flotilla to Set Sail Late August Toward Gaza to Break
Naval Blockade and Open Humanitarian Corridor
The
Global Freedom Flotilla announced that its first mission will set sail on
August 31 from Spanish ports toward the Gaza Strip, in an unprecedented
international civilian effort to break the naval blockade imposed by the
Zionist occupation and to open a humanitarian corridor to the besieged enclave.
During a
press conference held in the Tunisian capital, flotilla member Haifa
Al-Mansouri revealed that representatives from 44 countries took part in
preparatory meetings in Tunis to organize the flotilla, which brings together
four international initiatives: the Maghreb Freedom Flotilla, the Global
Campaign to Return to Gaza, the Southeast Asia Initiative, and the Freedom
Flotillas.
Al-Mansouri
confirmed that dozens of civilian boats — both large and small — will sail from
multiple ports in a coordinated and unified movement, the first of its kind,
with the aim of breaking the illegal naval blockade and ending the ongoing
genocide and systematic starvation targeting the Palestinian people in Gaza.
She
added that a second mission of the flotilla will depart from Tunisian ports on
September 4, as part of a peaceful international grassroots escalation aiming
to establish a sustainable humanitarian maritime corridor.
Thousands of Volunteers and On-Site Training
For his
part, flotilla member Saif Abu Kishk stated that more than 6,000 activists from
around the world have registered to participate through the flotilla’s official
platform. He noted that participants will undergo special training at the
departure sites, which will also host solidarity activities and civilian
camping events.
Abu
Kishk emphasized that this initiative constitutes growing pressure on
governments to act against the blockade imposed on Gaza, through mass
international and grassroots participation.
Systematic Starvation and Repeated Interceptions
The most
recent attempt to break the blockade came from the “Handala” ship, which was
intercepted by Zionist occupation forces in international waters late last
July, after reaching within 70 nautical miles of Gaza’s shores — surpassing
previous ships such as the Mavi Marmara (2010), Madeleine, and Al-Dameer.
Since
October 7, 2023, the Zionist occupation has continued to commit systematic
starvation crimes against Gaza’s residents, reaching a peak on March 2, 2024,
when all crossings were closed to humanitarian and medical aid. This led to the
outbreak of famine and the deaths of 159 Palestinians, including 90 children,
amid the total collapse of the healthcare and relief sectors in the Strip.
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* للاطلاع
على الترجمة الكاملة للخبر باللغة العربية، اضغط (هنا).