ACTIVISTS PLAN EXPANDED CIVILIAN FLOTILLA TO DELIVER AID TO GAZA
By Anele Dlamini
JOHANNESBURG: A coalition of international activists has announced plans for a significantly larger aid flotilla to Gaza, set to depart in March, following the interception of a similar mission by Israel last year.
According to organisers of the Global Sumud Flotilla, more than 100 boats carrying up to 1,000 participants are expected to take part in what they describe as the biggest coordinated civilian humanitarian effort aimed at Gaza to date. The group says those onboard will include humanitarian workers, medical professionals and war crimes investigators.
The announcement was made during a gathering at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg. Speaking at the event, Mandla Mandela, grandson of the late South African leader Nelson Mandela, said the initiative was a call for global solidarity in defence of justice and human dignity. Mandela was among those detained when Israeli forces seized the previous flotilla at sea.
Organisers said the maritime mission will be accompanied by a land convoy moving through neighbouring Arab countries, a mobilisation they expect to draw thousands of additional supporters.
In October last year, Israeli forces intercepted around 40 boats linked to the Global Sumud Flotilla as they attempted to reach Gaza, detaining more than 450 people. Among those arrested were climate activist Greta Thunberg and European Parliament member Rima Hassan. Several participants later alleged mistreatment while in detention, claims Israel has rejected.
Humanitarian groups say severe restrictions on aid entering Gaza since the start of Israel’s military offensive have led to widespread shortages of food, medicine and basic supplies. Although limited aid deliveries have resumed under a ceasefire that began in October, the United Nations says assistance levels remain far below what is required.
Despite expecting renewed resistance, flotilla organisers insist their mission will continue. Activist Susan Abdallah said the effort is as much about raising awareness as it is about delivering aid, adding that Palestinians in Gaza need to know they have not been forgotten.