Gaza Activists Vow To Launch Series of Flotillas
The two-ship flotilla heading for the Gaza Strip is the first in a series of small flotillas scheduled to arrive over the next few months, according to one of the organizers.
Huwaida Arraf of the Free Gaza movement, speaking yesterday from Ramallah, where she is staying temporarily, said that in light of the previous flotilla’s failure to reach Gaza earlier this year, organizers have been operating quietly in an effort to avoid bureaucratic delays and Israeli efforts to stop the operation.
“We want to let the world know that the people of Gaza are still suffering under a cruel and criminal blockade,” Arraf said. “The name Freedom Waves indicates that we will keep coming, wave after wave, by air, sea, and land, to challenge Israel’s illegal policies towards Gaza and all of Palestine. Our movement will not stop or be stopped until Palestine is free.”
Two boats carrying 27 activists and journalists (12 from Ireland and the rest from the United States, Canada, Morocco and other countries) left Turkey Wednesday and reached international waters yesterday. Most of their cargo consists of medical supplies.
Majd Kyal, a political activists from Haifa and the only Palestinian on the flotilla, said yesterday in a conversation with Radio Alshams that both ships are small and are bringing to the world a clear message about the need to lift the blockade on Gaza. He said that the passengers cannot give an accurate estimated time of arrival due to weather conditions and other issues.
“For now we’re in international waters. Our intention is to go straight from international waters to the Gaza beaches,” Kyal said. He emphasized that the organizers are aware of the possibility of being stopped by the Israel Navy and are not looking for a confrontation.
Ehab Lotayef, one of the Canadian organizers, said yesterday that the ship is “halfway to Gaza” and should arrive at its destination “within the next two days.” Speaking with Haaretz via satellite phone onboard the ship named Tahrir, Lotayef said the activists are still contemplating their strategy in the event they are contacted by the Israel Defense Forces.
“We might speed up a bit, we might slow down a little, but there will be no violence from our side,” he said.
“I don’t have illusions that our mission will end all the problems tomorrow, but we are using any tool to call attention to the suffering of people in Gaza. We came to deliver a clear message: The blockade of Gaza is illegal and inhumane. It should end,” Lotayef added.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
