Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and actor Liam Cunningham will join the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s (FFC) forthcoming mission to break Israel’s protracted blockade of Gaza. The vessel Madleen is scheduled to set sail from Catania, Sicily, on Sunday, carrying humanitarian aid alongside prominent activists, including European Parliament member Rima Hassan and Palestinian-American lawyer Huwaida Arraf.
Cunningham, known for his role in the acclaimed HBO series Game of Thrones, has long championed Palestinian human rights. This mission marks the FFC’s second attempt within two months to deliver aid to Gaza. An earlier May expedition was aborted after the Conscience, another FFC vessel, suffered severe damage in an alleged drone attack in international waters near Malta, an incident the coalition attributes to Israel.
“The first [goal] is, of course, to reject the blockade of humanitarian aid, the ongoing genocide, the impunity enjoyed by the State of Israel, and to raise global international awareness,” said MEP Hassan. “This action is also in response to the attack that took place on May 2 against the previous ship that took place in international waters near Malta.”
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Israel partially eased its nearly three-month siege of Gaza last week, permitting a limited quantity of aid to enter. Experts, however, have described the relief as a mere “drop in the ocean.” The United Nations warns that almost the entire Gazan population faces starvation.
As aid distribution commenced this week, thousands of Palestinians stormed a World Food Programme warehouse, resulting in at least three deaths and numerous injuries amid chaotic scenes.
Humanitarian agencies, including the UN, have outrightly rejected the US-Israeli-backed initiative, accusing Israel of weaponising aid and food to consolidate control over Gaza. The World Health Organisation has issued grave warnings of famine following prolonged shortages caused by the blockade.
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