New 11-ship flotilla sets sail for Gaza to defy Israeli blockade

ISTANBUL (AA) – An 11-ship convoy is sailing toward Gaza in a fresh attempt to break Israel’s blockade of the besieged enclave, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) announced Thursday.

The coalition said two vessels flying Italian and French flags departed from Otranto, Italy, on Sept. 25 and were later joined by the ship Conscience on Sept. 30. They are now expected to rendezvous with another eight-boat convoy, known as Thousand Madleens to Gaza.

According to the group, nearly 100 people are aboard the vessels, which are currently off the coast of Crete. The FFC, formed in 2008, has organized dozens of missions to deliver aid and raise awareness of Gaza’s worsening humanitarian crisis under Israeli blockade.

The launch of this latest flotilla comes just a day after Israeli forces intercepted and seized 42 boats from the Global Sumud Flotilla, detaining more than 450 activists from over 50 countries. Organizers accused Israel of attacking vessels in international waters and confiscating their humanitarian supplies.

Israel, which has maintained a blockade on Gaza for almost 18 years, has repeatedly intercepted such aid missions, seizing cargo and deporting participants. The blockade was further tightened in March, when border crossings were sealed and food and medicine deliveries blocked, driving much of the territory into famine.

Since October 2023, Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 66,200 Palestinians in Gaza, the majority women and children. UN agencies and rights groups warn the enclave is rapidly becoming uninhabitable, with starvation and disease spreading among its 2.4 million residents.