Italian actress Anna Foglietta, along with activists, waves a Palestinian flag from a boat in support of Palestinian people in Gaza and the Global Sumud Flotilla, during the 82nd Venice International Film Festival at Venice Lido. AFP
The Global Sumud Flotilla departed from Spain and Italy last week, following a delay due to adverse weather conditions, and is now docking off the Tunisian coast, according to the flotilla's tracker.
It is scheduled to link up with the Maghreb Sumud boats before continuing to Gaza.
The joint mission had been scheduled to depart Tunis on Sunday, but will now set sail on Wednesday, 10 September, citing “technical and logistical reasons beyond management’s control.”
The Global Sumud Flotilla is the largest ever attempt to break the 17-year naval siege on the Gaza Strip.
The initiative aims to create a humanitarian corridor to Gaza to deliver urgent humanitarian aid to its Palestinian population and end the ongoing genocidal Israeli war on the strip.
Organizers say it involves dozens of boats and hundreds of participants from 44 countries, coordinated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the Global Gaza Movement, the Sumud Convoy, and Malaysia’s Nusantara Sumud Organisation.
Notable participants include Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Brazilian activist Thiago Avila, Irish actor Liam Cunningham, American actress Susan Sarandon, Spanish actor Eduard Fernández, and former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, alongside a slew of European lawmakers and campaigners.
The flotilla expects to reach Gaza in mid-September.
Previous attempts
Israel has previously intercepted two flotillas this summer.
In June, 12 activists, including Thunberg and Avila, were detained after their sailboat, the Madleen, was boarded 185 kilometres west of Gaza. Its passengers were detained by Israel and eventually deported.
In July, 21 activists from 10 countries were stopped aboard their boat, the Handala, in international waters as they attempted to reach the enclave.
The Handala activists went on an immediate hunger strike upon their detainment by Israeli forces, and some of them were subjected to physical and verbal abuse before being deported.
Both interceptions occurred in international waters, beyond Gaza’s territorial zone, drawing sharp criticism from human rights groups and international lawyers who accused Israel of breaching maritime law.
The latest effort comes as conditions in Gaza worsen under Israel’s blockade and bombardment.
The United Nations (UN) formally declared a famine in Gaza on 22 August, warning that 500,000 people face “catastrophic” hunger.
More than 380 Palestinians, including dozens of children, have died from starvation and malnutrition, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
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