Gaza: An international aid flotilla is approaching the Gaza Strip in a bid to break an Israeli blockade on the Palestinian enclave, organizers said Monday. 'We are 570 kilometers (307.7 nautical miles) away from reaching Gaza,' the International Committee for Breaking the Siege on Gaza said on the US social media company X.
According to Anadolu Agency, Tony La Piccirella, an Italian activist from the Global Sumud Flotilla, stated in a video that they will reach on Tuesday the point where the Madleen and Handala aid ships were previously intercepted by Israeli naval forces in attempts to lift the Israeli siege and deliver humanitarian aid. On July 26, Israeli naval forces intercepted the Handala aid ship as it neared Gaza's shores and escorted it to Ashdod Port. The vessel had reached about 70 nautical miles from Gaza, surpassing the distance covered by the Madleen, which made it 110 miles before being stopped.
A group of activists joined the Global Sumud Flotilla from the Mediterranean on Monday, with two more boats joining from the Greek Cypriot Administration and Trkiye. The largest ship of the flotilla is set to sail on Tuesday with 100 people on board, according to the activist. La Piccirella mentioned that in addition to Italian and Spanish navy vessels providing protection for the flotilla, three more countries are considering sending military vessels, though the names of these countries were not disclosed.
La Piccirella emphasized that the movement is growing, involving hundreds at sea and millions on land, and will not stop until the siege is broken. The Global Sumud Flotilla, composed of about 50 ships, set sail earlier this month with the aim of breaking Israel's blockade on Gaza and delivering humanitarian aid, particularly medical supplies, to the affected area.
Since March 2, Israel has fully closed Gaza's crossings, blocking food and aid convoys and worsening famine conditions in the enclave. The Israeli army has killed over 66,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The ongoing bombardment has left the enclave uninhabitable, leading to starvation and the spread of diseases.