ATHENS, (The Palestinian Information Center) The Greek initiative “March to Gaza” announced that a ship will set sail next Monday, September 8, from the island of Syros in the Aegean Sea to join the “Global Sumud Flotilla” bound for Gaza.
In a post on Facebook, the initiative explained that the flotilla was launched “to once again highlight the voice of the Palestinian people and to break the siege imposed on Gaza.”
It added, “A ship carrying hope and solidarity will sail from Syros to Gaza, to deliver a message on the resilience and the heroic resistance of the Palestinian people.”
The statement also noted that the ship will carry essential supplies and aid collected for the Palestinian people during a musical concert held in Athens last Sunday.
According to the initiative’s schedule, a major concert will be held in support of the Palestinian people on September 7, followed by a demonstration on September 8, the date set for the ship’s departure to Gaza.
On Sunday, around 20 ships set out as part of the “Global Sumud Flotilla” from the Spanish port of Barcelona, followed by another flotilla early Monday from Genoa in northwestern Italy. The ships are expected to join with another group of ships from Tunisia tomorrow before continuing their journey toward Gaza in the coming days.
Amnesty International last Monday urged the Israeli authorities to allow the “Sumud Flotilla” to carry out its peaceful mission safely and without interference. In a statement published on X, the organization described the flotilla as “a powerful and inspiring act of solidarity with the Palestinians struggling to survive under Israel’s harsh and illegal blockade, and the ongoing genocide in the occupied Gaza Strip.”
The flotilla consists of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the Global Gaza Movement, the Sumud Convoy, and the Malaysian organization “Nusantara Resilience.”
The flotilla is expected to arrive in Gaza in mid-September. This comes after Israel prevented two previous attempts by activists to deliver aid to the Palestinian enclave by sea last June and July.
Since March 2, Israel has closed all crossings into Gaza, preventing the entry of food, medicine, or humanitarian aid, plunging the Strip into famine despite relief trucks piling up at its borders.
