The previous attempt of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition to enter the Strip via the Mediterranean Sea was halted by a mysterious drone attack.
French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan announced that she too would be boarding the ship.
By JNS staff
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg will set sail to the Gaza Strip on Sunday in an attempt to “break Israel’s illegal siege of Gaza,” the Hamas-linked Freedom Flotilla Coalition has announced.
Liam Cunningham, the Irish actor mostly known for his role in HBO series “Game of Thrones,” is slated to join the voyage from Catania, Sicily, as well, the group declared.
This will mark the group’s second attempt to breach Israel’s maritime blockade. On May 2, the “Conscious” was reportedly attacked en route to Gaza by drones in international waters off the coast of Malta.
The FFC accused Israel of carrying out the strike, but Jerusalem has remained tight-lipped about the incident.
Ahead of embarking on the “Madleen” vessel reportedly carrying supplies for Gazans, Thunberg issued a statement about the cause of the voyage.
“The world cannot be silent bystanders,” she said. “This silence and passivity that we are seeing from most of the world is deadly. We are seeing a systematic starvation of 2 million people. Every single one of us has a moral obligation to do everything we can to fight for a free Palestine.”
French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan announced that she too would be boarding the ship. The mission aims to achieve “several objectives: to denounce the humanitarian blockade and the ongoing genocide, the impunity enjoyed by the State of Israel, and to raise awareness of the situation among world and international opinion”, added Rima Hassan, whose stance on the Middle East has repeatedly sparked controversy in France.
Cunningham was quoted by the FFC as accusing Israel of committing a “live-streamed genocide” in Gaza.
The journey is slated to be livestreamed on YouTube and social media from 5 p.m. (Israel time).
The voyage comes at a crucial time in the Israel-Gaza war, as the terrorist organizations on Saturday effectively rejected a U.S. proposal for a 60-day ceasefire.
“I received the Hamas response to the United States’ proposal. It is totally unacceptable and only takes us backward,” said U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff.
The Israel Defense Forces in the meantime has stepped up its military campaign against Hamas—named “Operation Gideon’s Chariots”—with the aim of taking over large swathes of the Gaza Strip while flattening infrastructure and buildings that pose threats to Israeli forces.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which includes anti-Israel and Islamic NGOs linked to Hamas, stated some four months ago that “in 2025, we are determined to take to the seas to break the siege of Gaza.”
The coalition vowed to “continue acquiring vessels and securing crew and participants.”
The umbrella group includes several Turkish NGOs, among them the Humanitarian Relief Foundation and the Mavi Marmara Association, responsible for the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident, in which nine activists were killed after they attacked Israeli naval commandos.