11 new ships of the Freedom Flotilla set sail for Gaza

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - International Service: The Freedom Flotilla Coalition announced that it has dispatched 11 more ships from Italy to the Gaza Strip in line with civil efforts to break the illegal siege of the Gaza Strip.

 

A statement released on Friday stated that these ships are continuing their journey despite Israel’s illegal seizure of the global “Tamuud” fleet and have now reached the coast of the Greek island of Crete.

 

According to the statement, a copy of which was published by the Anadolu Agency, about 100 people, including journalists, health activists, and aid workers, are on board these ships, and they are carrying humanitarian aid and medical equipment.

 

The ships participating in the flotilla are: Abdel Karim Eid, Al-Awda, Alaa Al-Najjar, Anas Al-Sharif, Al-Dameer, Gaza Sunbird, Ghassan Kanafani, Laila Khaled, Milad, Soul of My Soul and Umm Saad.

 

The Freedom Flotilla previously announced that the Al-Dameer had set sail from the port of Otranto in Italy. The 68-meter-long ship returned to its mission after undergoing repairs following an Israeli drone strike on May 2 that caused a hole in its hull and a fire in its bow.

 

The ships were built with the participation of international campaigns and initiatives and are carrying doctors, activists and journalists from around the world.

 

In the past 48 hours, Israeli forces have seized dozens of ships from the Global Resistance Flotilla in international waters and detained hundreds of international activists. The flotilla, after the Israeli army intervened, sent an emergency message describing the action as a “war crime.”

 

This was the first time that dozens of ships had set sail simultaneously for Gaza, a region that is home to some 2.4 million Palestinians and has been under Israeli siege for 18 years.

 

Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with US support, has been waging a genocide in Gaza that has killed 66,288 people and injured 169,165, most of whom are children and women. War-induced famine has also claimed the lives of 457 Palestinians, 152 of whom were children.