Gaza aid flotilla could receive 'much worse' attacks, former Barcelona mayor says

The former mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, and a current crew member of the Global Sumud Flotilla, has said that there is a "possibility" that the sailing group will receive "much worse" attacks during their trip to the Gaza Strip.

In an interview with the Catalan News Agency (ACN) from Tunis, Colau said that the two drone attacks while the flotilla was in Tunis could be just the beginning.

Israel "does not respect anything at all," she said, as the Middle East country acts "with total impunity on international waters." This is why Colau, the Barcelona mayor between 2015 and 2023, urges the Spanish government to offer "effective and specific protection" to the flotilla's several vessels.

The former mayor told ACN that the crew is worried that European governments are "such cowards" when facing Israel, as their attitude "puts all of us in danger." Among the measures she suggests is for EU countries to deploy maritime vessels to accompany the flotilla.

"Are they that scared of Israel?" she questioned, as she said that the Spanish government has not "directly reached out" despite the attacks. In fact, members of the organization, had already asked for diplomatic protection to Spanish authorities.

The Global Sumud Flotilla received two drone attacks during its stop in Tunis, which is why Colau states that it is "terrible" that people are normalizing Israel when "attacking without any impunity boats with European flags and with European citizens as passengers."

"These are terrorist attacks against human lives, and we are in danger," she said before adding that the boats could have caught fire and sunk, despite being passengers on the ships.

Colau said that the flotilla is now "more important than ever" after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had increased the attacks. "The goal of setting a humanitarian corridor is the bare minimum," she said.

Vessels expect to reach the Gaza Strip within 10 days of departing Tunis.

The first group of ships left Barcelona with activist Greta Thunberg, actor Liam Cunningham, and former mayor Ada Colau as some of the dozens of passengers.