Swedish activist Greta Thunberg to sail to Gaza aboard Freedom Flotilla

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg is expected to set sail for Gaza on Sunday aboard a humanitarian ship, alongside other campaigners, in protest against the ongoing Israeli war and siege on the Strip.

The voyage is organised by the Freedom Flotilla, a coalition of groups opposing the Israeli blockade that was imposed on Gaza in 2007 and which was tightened on 2 March banning the entry of all food, water and medicines.

Rima Hassan, a member of the European Parliament who is also taking part in the trip, said the mission has “multiple objectives: to denounce the humanitarian blockade, the ongoing genocide, and the impunity granted to the state of Israel, and to raise international awareness.”

Hassan, a prominent figure in the left-wing France Unbowed Party (LFI), is of Palestinian origins had planned to visit the occupied Palestinian territories in February as part of a European Parliament delegation but said she was denied entry into Israel.

Thunberg, who became known for leading climate protests among teenagers in Sweden, had initially planned to sail to Gaza earlier this month on another ship organised by the Freedom Flotilla coalition. However, that vessel was struck by a drone during its journey.

READ: UN refuses to join Israel’s Gaza aid mechanism that ‘breaches humanitarian principles’