Celebrities join Gaza-bound flotilla aiming to deliver humanitarian aid

Activists of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition departed from Sicily, on board the ship 'Madleen', and intend to “break the siege” on Gaza and advocate for humanitarian aid access for Palestinians. The mission follows a similar attempt by a humanitarian group aboard the 'Conscience' less than a month ago, which was mysteriously bombed by a drone just hours after setting sail from Malta. While organizers speculated that Israel was behind the strike, no concrete evidence has emerged identifying the perpetrators or clarifying how the attack occurred.

These flotilla missions are part of a broader effort to raise global awareness and build international support for Palestinians – reminiscent of the Turkish-led Gaza flotilla approximately 15 years ago.

Environmental activist Greta Thunberg, a prominent voice in the “Free Palestine” movement, has joined and publicly endorsed the current mission. On her social media platforms, she stated that the group aims to land in Gaza to help facilitate “the delivery of food and medical supplies” directly to civilians in need.

Also aboard the flotilla are Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham and EU lawmaker Rima Hassan – who has been banned from entering Israel. Both hope their presence will help draw international attention to what they describe as a “famine” and “genocide” unfolding in Gaza.

Speaking shortly before the vessel set sail, Thunberg emphasized, “The world cannot be silent bystanders.”

“This silence and passivity that we are seeing from most of the world is deadly,” she continued. “We are seeing a systematic starvation of 2 million people. Every single one of us has a moral obligation to do everything we can to fight for a free Palestine.”