A second pro-Palestinian protest “flotilla” will take off for the Gaza Strip on Sunday morning, just over a month after a similar attempt to break Israel’s blockade was peacefully thwarted by the Israeli Navy.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which led the previous attempt, says it will launch the Handala on Sunday morning in Siracusa, Italy. Among those scheduled to sail on the Handala are French MEP Emma Fourreau and French MP Gabrielle Cathala.
FFC says that the boat, named for a cartoon figure that has become a symbol of the Palestinian Arab nationalist movement, will carry “life-saving humanitarian aid and a message of solidarity from people around the world refusing to stay silent as Gaza is starved, bombed, and buried under rubble.”
Last month, the boat Madleen, carrying several prominent passengers, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and MEP Rima Hassan, sailed toward Gaza. The effort was foiled when Shayetet 13 commandos boarded the boat and peacefully detained the activists, who were taken to Israel and later deported.