The Madleen, organised by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and the International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza, aims to deliver aid and draw international attention to what organisers call the "collective punishment" of civilians.
Among the passengers are Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and European nationals, including French citizens Baptiste André, Rima Hassan, Reva Viard, and Pascal Marieras. Spanish and German nationals are also on board.
Israel has vowed to block the vessel from reaching Gaza. Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday he had instructed the military to intercept the boat, accusing activists of spreading Hamas propaganda. Katz warned the group, including Thunberg, to turn back.
The Madleen was previously targeted on 2 May, when its generator was reportedly damaged in an Israeli attempt to disable the ship.
Rights groups have warned that any attack on the vessel would constitute a violation of international law. They compared the situation to the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident, when Israeli forces stormed a Gaza-bound flotilla, killing 10 Turkish activists.
Over 1.1 million people have signed an open letter warning Israel that any harm to the passengers or the ship will be treated as a serious violation of international law and potentially an international crime.
Activists have launched an online campaign under the slogan “We need you now to protect the flotilla and allow it to reach Gaza,” urging the public to contact their governments and demand immediate diplomatic protection for those on board.
They specifically called on the Spanish government to protect Sergio Toribio and the German government to protect Yasmin Akar.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition also called on French President Emmanuel Macron to take action and ensure safe passage for French citizens aboard the vessel.
The group also appealed to France to uphold its obligations under the UN Charter, the Rome Statute, and the international conventions against apartheid and genocide.
According to Israeli military sources cited in local media, the Madleen may be intercepted within 24 hours.
The vessel is currently off the Egyptian coast and moving toward Gaza’s territorial waters.
The Madleen, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, left Sicily last week with a cargo of relief supplies "to break Israel's blockade on Gaza."
"We are now sailing off the Egyptian coast," German human rights activist Yasemin Acar told AFP earlier on Saturday.
"We are all good," she added.
The boat's 12 passengers include nationals of Germany, France, Brazil, Turkey, Sweden, Spain, and the Netherlands.
The ship's crew reported a series of drone sightings during the voyage.
According to a video posted by the coalition on its social media platforms, a Hellenic Coast Guard Heron drone flew over the Madleen on Tuesday evening.
Hours later, two other drones—believed to be operated by the EU border agency Frontex—approached the vessel.
Another drone visited in the early hours of Thursday.
Activists said the crew remains safe but believes the drone surveillance was intended to intimidate.
"We are fully aware of the potential consequences," Acar said.
She added that the Madleen is sailing under a UK flag and approaching Gaza's territorial waters, which she described as "occupied by Israel".
"If Israel attacks us, it would be yet another war crime."
"We would not be on this mission if we did not believe we could reach Gaza."
Acar did not disclose when or where the vessel is expected to attempt entry into the territory.
In a statement from London on Saturday, the International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza -- a member organisation of the flotilla coalition -- said the ship had entered Egyptian waters.
The group said it remains in contact with international legal and human rights bodies to ensure the safety of those on board, warning that any interception would constitute "a blatant violation of international humanitarian law".
European parliament member Rima Hassan, who is on board the vessel, urged governments to "guarantee safe passage for the Freedom Flotilla."
She also said more than 200 European lawmakers have signed an open letter to Israel calling for the Madleen to be allowed to reach Gaza and for the "immediate entry of its humanitarian cargo".
In a statement on Friday, Amnesty International described the voyage as an "important solidarity initiative". It said there was "no justification" for obstructing humanitarian aid amid what it called "one of the worst manmade humanitarian disasters in the world".
Launched in 2010, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition is a coalition of groups opposed to the blockade on humanitarian aid for Gaza that Israel imposed on 2 March and left more than two million Palestinians on the verge of starvation.
Alongside the flotilla, the Global March to Gaza—another international initiative aiming to draw attention to the blockade—is preparing a coordinated campaign.
The two groups have formed a joint committee to synchronise their efforts.
The Global March to Gaza plans to gather in Cairo on 12 June and travel by bus a day later to Al-Arish, near Egypt's border with Gaza.
From there, over 2,700 participants from more than 50 countries will walk on foot to the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing, camping there for a few days before returning to Cairo on 19 June, organisers told AFP.
Israel has faced mounting international condemnation over the resulting humanitarian crisis in the territory, where the United Nations has warned that the entire population of more than two million is at risk of famine.
Israeli fire near food distribution site
In Gaza, the civil defence agency said Israeli attacks killed at least 10 people on Sunday, AFP reported.
"Five martyrs and dozens of wounded were taken to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis after the (Israeli) occupation forces opened fire on civilians at around 6:00 am", said Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for the agency.
The civilians had been heading to an aid distribution centre west of Rafah, near a site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed group that has come under criticism from the United Nations and humanitarian agencies.
The United Nations refuses to work with the GHF, citing concerns over its practices and neutrality.
The Israeli military said it fired on people who "continued advancing in a way that endangered the soldiers" despite warnings.
It said the area around the distribution point had been declared an "active combat zone" at night.
"Around 4:30 am, people started gathering in the Al-Alam area of Rafah. After about an hour and a half, hundreds moved toward the site and the army opened fire," eyewitness Abdallah Nour al-Din told AFP.
Five dead in strike on tent
Outside Nasser Hospital, where the emergency workers brought the casualties, AFPTV footage showed mourners crying over blood-stained body-bags.
"I can't see you like this," said Lin al-Daghma by her father's body, while a man lay over his brother's corpse.
They gave the same account as Din, and spoke of the struggle to access food aid after more than two months of a total Israeli blockade of Gaza, despite a recent easing.
Dozens of people have been killed near GHF distribution points since late May, according to the civil defence.
Bassal said another five people, including two young girls, were killed around in an overnight strike that hit a tent in the Al-Mawasi displaced persons camp in southern Gaza.
Israel's army on Sunday accused Bassal of being linked to Hamas, an allegation he denied.
The army issued copies of what it said were Hamas membership lists to the media, without clarifying where or how the undated documents were obtained.
"I do not work for any military organisation," Bassal told AFP, adding that the agency's mission was guided by international law.
The war was sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
On Sunday, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said that the death toll for the Gaza war had reached 54,880, the majority civilians. The UN considers these figures reliable.
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