Ships carrying aid, activists, and celebrities to set sail from Barcelona to Gaza
BARCELONA AP A flotilla of ships prepared to set sail from Barcelona to the Gaza Strip Sunday with humanitarian aid activists and celebrities on board to try and break the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory This comes as Israel has stepped up its offensive on Gaza City limiting the deliveries of food and basic supplies in the north of the Palestinian territory Food experts warned earlier this month that the city was in famine and that half a million people across the strip were facing catastrophic levels of hunger The Global Sumud Flotilla is carrying food water and medicine Activists on board demanded safe passage to deliver the much-needed aid and the opening of a humanitarian sea corridor according to a declaration The almost -month war has killed more than people with at least Palestinians dying of malnutrition incluindg children according to the Gaza Soundness ministry The maritime convoy of about boats and delegations from countries will be joined by more ships from ports in Italy Greece and Tunisia in the coming days on its direction from the western end of the Mediterranean to the Gaza Strip organizers noted Thousands of supporters flocked to the Barcelona pier a few of them wearing kaffiyehs and chanting Free Palestine and Boycott Israel A wide variety of boats flying Palestinian flags were waiting to set sail from run-down old luxury yachts to tiny wooden sailboats and industrial-looking vessels The story here is about Palestine The story here is how people are being deliberately deprived of the very basic means to survive commented Swedish activist Greta Thunberg at a press conference She will be one of the bulk recognizable figures on the expedition alongside actors Susan Sarandon and Liam Cunningham as well as activists politicians like former mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau and journalists It is not the first time Thunberg will attempt to reach Gaza waters this year She was deported in June when the ship she was traveling on with other people the Madleen was stopped by the Israeli military It has been very clear that Israel has been continuously violating international law by either attacking unlawfully intercepting the boats in international waters and continuously preventing the humanitarian aid from coming in stated Thunberg in an interview with The Associated Press on Saturday Cunningham who will join the flotilla played a video showing a girl serenading while planning her own funeral The girl Fatima died four days ago he mentioned What sort of world have we slid into where children are making their own funeral arrangements Cunningham communicated reporters In late July the Israeli military stopped another aid ship detained international activists and reporters and seized its cargo including baby formula food and medicine according to Freedom Flotilla Coalition An Israeli official revealed Saturday that the country will soon halt or slow humanitarian aid into parts of northern Gaza as it expands its military offensive against Hamas a day after the city was declared a combat zone The war began on Oct when an attack by Hamas militants inside Israel claimed the lives of people preponderance of them civilians and took people hostage Source
