New Gaza-bound Flotilla Sets Sail from Türkiye

Dozens of ships set sail from southwestern Türkiye as part of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla on Thursday, an organizer told AFP. “Around 50 ships sailed from Marmaris around an hour ago,” Gorkem Duru, a member of the Türkiye branch of the Global Sumud Fleet said. “They will be joined by four or five ships from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition in international waters. Now they are sailing for Gaza,” he added, AFP reported. The Global Sumud Flotilla will be the third initiative in a year aiming at breaking an Israeli blockade on war-ravaged Gaza, which has suffered severe shortages of food, water, medicine and fuel since the Israel-Hamas war broke out in October 2023. Israeli forces intercepted the second flotilla in international waters off Greece on April 30, expelling most of the activists to Europe, but arrested two of them who were held for 10 days. Rights groups said the arrests were illegal and that the men suffered abuse while they were in Israeli detention. Israeli authorities have rejected the abuse allegations but have filed no charges against them.