Aid Flotilla Nears Gaza, Demands Global Protection Amid Israeli Threats

Activists aboard “The Thousands of Madleens” aid flotilla urged the global community on Sunday to guarantee their safety as the convoy approached the Israeli-imposed maritime barrier around Gaza.

“We are close to the possible interception point, and call to the international community to ensure the safety that we are entitled under international law,” the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) said.

The convoy reached waters near Alexandria, Egypt, roughly 560 kilometers from Gaza, in its renewed attempt to confront Israel’s unlawful siege on the Palestinian enclave.

“To all governmental and judicial institutions of European States and the European Union: this is a strong and firm appeal. We are at sea, sailing to Gaza and we are concerned,” the FFC said.

The coalition described its mission as a lawful humanitarian effort, involving parliamentarians, journalists, medics, and citizens. “We are carrying out our legitimate work … Now we are worried about what may happen to us and the ongoing brutality that keeps unfolding against the Palestinians,” it added.

Organizers said they had received “alarming testimonies” from participants in the Global Sumud Flotilla about “abuse, violence, and torture during their unlawful detention in Israel,” claims corroborated by support groups.

Israeli naval forces violently intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla last Wednesday, seizing its vessels and detaining more than 470 activists from over 50 countries. The flotilla had been attempting to deliver essential aid to Gaza and challenge Israel’s siege.

“We urgently call on you to uphold and enforce international, humanitarian and maritime law,” the coalition said, demanding that European governments sanction Israel and “stop your participation in the genocide under the framework of European democracy.”

“Why do institutions exist, if not to protect their citizens and ensure respect for the rule of law?” the group asked.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a global civil society network, has organized multiple voyages since 2010 to defy Israel’s blockade and expose the humanitarian catastrophe inside Gaza.

Israel’s blockade has trapped nearly 2.4 million Palestinians in what rights groups call an “open-air prison.” Since October 2023, Israeli air and ground assaults have killed more than 67,000 Palestinians—mostly women and children—flattening neighborhoods and pushing the enclave to the brink of famine.