6 Greek boats join global flotilla to break Israeli blockade on Gaza

By Ikram Kouachi

ANKARA (AA) - Six Greek boats carrying dozens of activists have set sail on Friday in the Aegean Sea to join the Global Sumud Flotilla, an international initiative challenging Israel’s blockade on Gaza.

On board are 26 Greek activists and 20 international supporters sailing to meet the wider flotilla bound for Gaza, the International Committee to Break the Israeli Siege of Gaza said in a statement on US social media company X.

Two more vessels, the committee noted, will appear soon on the international tracking system.

On Thursday, many vessels that set sail from Spain, Tunisia, and Libya have reached near southern Sicily, joining the Italian ships that were waiting for their arrival, the Global Sumud Flotilla said.

The official flotilla tracker showed over 40 vessels present in southern Sicily as the six Greek boats are still on their way to join them, raising the total number of ships bound for Gaza to 50.

On Tuesday, the International Committee to Break the Israeli Siege of Gaza said all ships will set sail together toward the shores of Gaza after gathering near Malta.

The current convoy is the largest of its kind, aiming to challenge the blockade and deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, where famine conditions have taken hold under Israel’s months-long closure of all crossings.

The Israeli army has killed more than 65,100 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and spread of diseases.