Climate activist Greta Thunberg and other anti-Israel activists will reattempt to break the IDF blockade of the Gaza Strip, Thunberg and flotilla organizers announced, with dozens of vessels scheduled to set sail on August 31.
The Global Sumud (steadfastness) Flotilla is supposed to comprise dozens of ships from over 40 countries, with dozens more set to embark from Tunisia on September 4 to join the blockade run.
“We are sailing again to break the siege,” Thunberg said in an Instagram video on Sunday that also featured previous Gaza flotilla participants, such as actor Liam Cunningham and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Mandla Mandela.
According to the Flotilla website, organizers believe that a maritime route is necessary for its mission to deliver aid, accusing the IDF and Gaza Humanitarian Foundation of restricting land-based deliveries.
Two hundred and eighty truckloads of aid entered Gaza on Sunday, according to the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories, and Thunberg’s previous blockade run only held a symbolic amount of aid. The Sumud Flotilla said on its website that its vessels wouldn’t just carry aid; they would carry a message: The siege must end.”
The flotilla organizers acknowledged that there was a high risk that their vessels would be stopped by the Israeli navy but argued that “international attention shifts the calculus” and would “raise the political cost of any aggression.”
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said on Monday that the military was enforcing a security closure of the Gaza Strip and was ready for a variety of scenarios.
Previous flotillas toward Israel
Thunberg had attempted to enter restricted military waters aboard the Madleen on June 9. She and other activists were voluntarily deported from Israel, but several refused deportation. A Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship was disabled on May 2, according to organizers, by a drone. The coalition alleged that Israel was responsible for the sabotage. Another ship, the Handala, was boarded by naval forces on July 26, and deportation hearings were held for 13 of the activists on July 28.
Blockade-running flotillas have featured prominently in anti-Israel activist operations, with the 2010 attempt by the Mavi Marmara flotilla devolving into a clash between the participants and Israeli forces. When Shayetet 13 commandos boarded the ships, they were attacked on the Mavi Marmara with bludgeons and other weapons. In the fight, 10 flotilla members were killed, and 10 Israeli commandos were injured.