Ahlulbayt News Agency: The International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza announced on Sunday that it has observed repeated drone flights over the ships of the “Sumud Flotilla,” noting that some of these drones approached the vessels at unusually close range.
In a post on its Facebook page, the Committee stated that this “unprecedented level of drone activity is concerning.”
On Saturday, the head of the Committee, Zaher Birawi, said that the “Global Sumud Flotilla” which includes hundreds of participants and volunteers and is the 38th attempt to break the siege on Gaza has set sail collectively towards the Gaza Strip, in the largest maritime movement of its kind.
Birawi explained, in press statements, that “44 ships have already departed from Italian ports, while 6 other ships are preparing to join from Greek ports,” pointing out that “the flotilla’s direct destination is Gaza.”
He estimated that “the journey will take about a week to reach the shores of the Strip,” which has been under a crippling Israeli blockade for more than 17 years, according to Quds Press.
The “Global Sumud Flotilla” set sail on Friday from off the coast of the Italian island of Sicily, heading towards the Gaza Strip, which has been under Israeli assault, with Western and American support, for two years, an assault that has killed or wounded more than 231,000 people.
Last week, the largest ship in the flotilla was targeted by a drone off the Tunisian coast, starting a fire on board.
The departure of the flotilla towards Gaza, aiming to break the blockade, had been postponed several times due to weather conditions, according to the organizers of the global campaign.
This flotilla is part of the “Global Sumud Flotilla,” which includes about 50 ships, 23 from North African countries and 22 foreign vessels, with delegations participating from European and Latin American countries, in addition to activists from the United States, Pakistan, India, and Malaysia.
This is the first time such a large number of ships has sailed collectively toward the Gaza Strip, where more than 2.4 million Palestinians live under siege.
It is worth noting that Israeli occupation forces have previously intercepted similar ships, seized them, and deported the activists on board.
Since March 2, Israel has closed all crossings into the Strip, worsening the humanitarian disaster and triggering a severe famine, despite thousands of aid trucks waiting at the borders, prevented from entering.
Although small amounts of aid are intermittently allowed in, they do not meet even the minimum needs of the population. At the same time, the Gaza Government Media Office has confirmed that Israel provides protection for gangs that loot the aid.
Activists participating in the “Global Sumud Flotilla” are anticipating all possible scenarios during their journey to Gaza, stressing that Israel may use multiple tactics to thwart the mission.
Nevertheless, the activists affirm that no threats or escalations will deter them from continuing, emphasizing that the blockade is no longer just a Palestinian issue, but a global moral struggle requiring broad humanitarian participation.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with Western and American backing, has been waging a genocidal war on Gaza, which has so far killed or injured more than 231,000 Palestinians, most of them children and women, displaced hundreds of thousands, and caused famine that has already claimed the lives of 432 Palestinians, including 146 children.
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