Ten vessels and 60 activists—including European MPs and Greta Thunberg—embark on another staged bid to break Israel’s lawful maritime blockade, echoing past failed propaganda stunts.
A new so-called “aid flotilla” departed Sicily on Saturday, aiming to provoke Israel by attempting to breach its lawful maritime blockade of Hamas-controlled Gaza. The convoy of ten vessels, carrying 60 individuals—including politicians from nine countries and climate activist Greta Thunberg—was organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) and the Thousand Madleens to Gaza (TMTG).
The organizers boast of carrying “medical supplies, dry food, and school equipment,” yet Israeli officials point out that such flotillas are not humanitarian lifelines but political theater. The Foreign Ministry previously revealed that the contents of a similar ship, the Madleen, amounted to less than a single truckload of aid—insignificant compared to the tons of assistance transferred daily into Gaza through proper humanitarian channels.
The flotilla claims affiliation with the Global Sumud Flotilla, which alleges that drones attacked its vessels near Tunisia—a charge Tunisian authorities first denied, then reversed. The activists blame Israel, despite offering no proof.
Greta Thunberg, who was deported by Israel in June after her last failed flotilla stunt, has rejoined this campaign, once again recording pre-scripted “kidnapping” narratives in anticipation of lawful IDF interception.
Israel has consistently maintained that its naval blockade—upheld as legal under international law—is designed to stop weapons smuggling into Gaza, not humanitarian aid, which continues to enter daily through Israel’s coordinated channels. This flotilla, like its predecessors, seeks headlines—not to save lives.
