Climate activist Greta Thunberg joined a flotilla of boats loaded with aid for Gaza as they set sail from Barcelona on Sunday, aiming to break Israel’s naval blockade and deliver food and supplies to the enclave.
Departure from Barcelona
Thousands gathered at Barcelona’s port to see the flotilla off, waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Free Palestine”.
“This is a mission to challenge the extremely violent, business-as-usual international system that is failing to uphold international law,” Thunberg told the crowd.
Previous attempt blocked
The Swedish campaigner attempted to break Israel’s blockade in June alongside other activists. Their small aid ship was seized by Israeli forces and the group deported. Israel argues the blockade, in place since 2007, is necessary to prevent weapons reaching Hamas. It has described previous flotillas as propaganda efforts.
Wider mobilisation
Organisers of the latest mission accused world leaders of failing to pressure Israel to allow aid into Gaza, where monitors report parts of the population face famine.
More vessels will join the flotilla from Greece, Italy and Tunisia, said Yasemin Acar of the steering committee.
Italian contribution
In Genoa, 250 metric tons of food for Gaza was collected by local groups. Some of the aid was loaded onto boats leaving for Gaza on Sunday, with the remainder bound for the Sicilian port of Catania, where more vessels are due to depart on September 4.
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