The largest civilian flotilla in world history is presently heading to the besieged Palestinian land of Gaza in a dramatic sea confrontation, pitting hundreds of ships and human rights activists – representing 44 nations around the globe in a historic humanitarian effort that has already been targeted in Tunisian waters by mysterious drone attacks, making the issue more hot-tempered than ever before and sending international leaders in a call to sing the songs of danger and bravery as they strive to see through to a time of ending the Gilapagos night blockade of the Pearl of the Middle East.
The Global Sumud Flotilla and what it signifies on international solidarity
An international maritime campaign is one of the multiple goals of sending a global fleet of boats to Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid to the starving population in Gaza. The first convoy, full of dozens of small civilian vessels with activists, humanitarians, doctors, seafarers, and humanitarian supplies, is planned to leave on August 31 from the ports of Spain and meet a second wave in Tunisia on September 4.
Such a mission is coordinated by four large coalitions, and they comprise groups that have been involved in the past land and sea operations to Gaza. The Global Movement to Gaza (GMTG), Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), Maghreb Sumud Flotilla, and Sumud Nusantara have organized one of the largest civilian flotillas in history. The Global Sumud Flotilla site lists the range of people in the coalition: organisers, humanitarians, doctors, artists, clergy, lawyers, and seafarers who have a common voice of human dignity and the strength of nonviolent action.
Why sea ways are powerful in the delivery of aid
A flotilla refers to a fleet of vessels or boats that is set up in order to offer the necessary supplies, which include food, medicine, and other supplies, to an area in crisis. They are mostly planned when the conventional supply channels, like air and land channels, have been destroyed or disrupted. Following the 2007 Gaza conflict, Israel has strictly patrolled the airspace and waters of Gaza by hindering any goods and people from entering and moving in the territory.
What drone attacks say about the intensifying tension regarding the mission
A Gaza aid flotilla organizer declared on Tuesday that two of their vessels were attacked by drones over Tunisian territory. In the second of two consecutive attacks on their teams in two days, the Global Sumud Flotilla announced the destruction of Alma, a British-flagged vessel in the civilian fleet, by a drone. On Monday, the group claimed that one of its primary vessels, a Portuguese-flagged boat, was also struck. Both of them resulted in damage from the fire, but no victims, says GSF.
The reasons why this mission of flotillas needs an unprecedented humanitarian emergency
After Israel blocked Gaza in March, starvation deaths surged, and relief was restored in May, according to a system supported by the United States and Israel. So far, the loss of lives is about 1,400, and injuries were estimated to remain at 4,000 in search of food, with no less than 859 being killed in the process near aid locations, the United Nations claims. Through political symbolism via delivering aid by sea, the Sumud flotilla seeks to have it out with Israel and send a message stating that the siege should be lifted.
The group consists of about 20 vessels and 44 countries, with one of its members being the activist Greta Thunberg, who is the biggest civilian sea endeavor to shatter the Israeli blockade on the Palestinian land. The group projects that it will need seven to eight days to fulfil the roughly 3,000km distance to Gaza. Tens of thousands of people are enrolled to attend the initiative, although hundreds will be sailing off the organised fleet.