Climate activist Greta Thunberg and 11 others are sailing on the Madleen, a Freedom Flotilla vessel, from Sicily towards Gaza, claim they will be challenging “Israel’s siege” on the Strip.
A sailing vessel carrying climate activist Greta Thunberg and 11 other campaigners departed from the Sicilian port of Catania on Sunday, embarking on a mission organizers state is aimed at “breaking Israel´s siege” of the Gaza Strip, The Associated Press reported.
The Madleen, operated by the activist group Freedom Flotilla Coalition, will attempt to reach Gaza’s shores to deliver aid and “raise international awareness” regarding the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the territory.
During a press conference prior to departure, Thunberg stated, “We are doing this because, no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying. Because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity. And no matter how dangerous this mission is, it´s not even near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the live-streamed genocide.”
Among the crew members are “Game of Thrones” actor Liam Cunningham and Rima Hassan, a French Member of the European Parliament of Palestinian descent, who has been barred from entering Israel due to her active opposition to Israeli actions in Gaza. Activists said they anticipate a seven-day journey, assuming they are not intercepted.
This attempt follows a previous failed effort in early May, where another Freedom Flotilla vessel, the “Conscience,” reportedly sustained damage from two alleged drones in international waters off Malta. The group attributed the attack to Israel.
In 2010, a previous “Freedom Flotilla” set off from the southern Turkish city of Antalya, leading to a deadly episode after Israeli soldiers boarded one of the ships, the Mavi Marmara, when the Islamists on board, who claimed they were carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza, refused to reverse course and dock at the Ashdod Port.
As soon as they boarded the ship, the soldiers were attacked by the Islamists with clubs and knives, forcing the troops to open fire and killing 10 of those on board.
Upon inspection, it was discovered that there was no humanitarian aid whatsoever aboard the Marmara.
Thunberg has upped her criticism of Israel since the start of the war in Gaza, which began after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 massacre against Israel. Thunberg has taken to social media, where she has been expressing solidarity with Gaza while barely mentioning October 7.
In November of 2023, a protester briefly grabbed the microphone from Thunberg during a rally in Amsterdam and criticized her over her pro-Palestinian Arab comments.
Thunberg, who was addressing the crowd, invited a Palestinian Arab woman and an Afghan woman onstage and said, “As a climate justice movement, we have to listen to the voices of those who are being oppressed and those who are fighting for freedom and for justice. Otherwise, there can be no climate justice without international solidarity.”
The protester then burst onto the stage and said, “I have come here for a climate demonstration, not a political view.”
In January, Thunberg participated in an anti-Israel protest in Leipzig, Germany, where she called to “crush Zionism”.
