Israel likely to intercept Freedom Flotilla before it reaches Gaza, activists say

The Chairman of the International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza, Zaher Birawi, said yesterday he expects Israeli forces to intercept the Freedom Flotilla ship before it arrives in the Gaza Strip.

Birawi expressed hope that the flotilla would receive international and popular protection and succeed in reaching Gaza to help end the blockade, which has been in place for 17 years.

The ship Madeleine, carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, set sail from the port of Catania on the Italian island of Sicily earlier yesterday. The voyage is expected to take seven days.

Madeleine is the 36th vessel launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition in its ongoing efforts to break the Israeli blockade on Gaza.

Israeli forces resumed their assault and tightened blockade on the Gaza Strip on 18 March, ending a two-month ceasefire that had come into effect on 19 January. However, Israel had violated the terms of the agreement throughout the truce period.

Since the start of the Israeli offensive on Gaza on 7 October 2023, backed fully by the United States, the Israeli military has continued its operations, resulting in more than 178,000 deaths and injuries, mostly among Palestinian women and children. Thousands remain missing, while hundreds of thousands have been displaced under extremely dire humanitarian conditions amid imminent famine.

The assault has also caused widespread destruction, including the demolition of homes, residential towers, hospitals, and much of the Strip’s infrastructure.