'Take action now,' says Belgian member of parliament aboard Gaza Flotilla

Belgian lawmaker Benedicte Linard has joined the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza, calling on the international community to act urgently to halt what she described as a “genocide” in the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Speaking from aboard the Gaza Sunbird, one of the vessels in the flotilla, Linard said she decided to take part in the mission after becoming frustrated by what she called the inaction of political institutions. “I wanted to take an action to try to stop the genocide in Gaza,” she told Anadolu. “In the parliament and in governments there wasn’t enough action. So now I’m here with a lot of citizens in this flotilla.”

She said the convoy’s objective is not only to deliver humanitarian aid but also to open a permanent sea corridor for Gaza.

“It’s important for me not only to be on the boat but to try to stop what’s happening in Gaza, what Israel is doing to all the citizens, to all the children,” she said.

Linard acknowledged the risks of the journey, noting that another vessel, Sumud, was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters.

Israeli naval forces attacked and seized vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla on Thursday and detained more than 470 activists from over 50 countries. The flotilla had been attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and challenge Israel’s blockade of the enclave.

“We suppose that could happen to us also, but we want to try to finish this mission,” she said, adding that her crew was “quite well” and “not so far from Gaza.”

Addressing global leaders, Linard issued a direct plea for decisive measures against Israel.

“Please stop Israel and this illegal siege of Gaza. People are dying. You have to take action. You have to take sanctions against Israel. It’s the time now — it’s already too late,” she said.

Israel has maintained the blockade of Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million people, for almost 18 years.

Since October 2023, Israeli bombardments have killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it uninhabitable, with the blockade also pushing Gaza to famine.