Global Sumud Flotilla relaunches Gaza mission weeks after Israeli interception

The Global Sumud Flotilla announced on Wednesday that it will set sail again for Gaza this Thursday with 54 ships and more than 500 participants, weeks after Israeli authorities intercepted vessels attempting to reach the Palestinian territory. 

Activist Saif Abukeshek, who was detained for ten days in an Israeli prison following the interception, said the flotilla will depart from the port of Marmaris, in Turkey.

"We are very clear about the risks we could face," Abukeshek said during the press conference in Turkey. "But the danger and risk of inaction is much greater."

The flotilla will resume its journey on the eve of Nakba Day, which marks the displacement of Palestinians following the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.

Israeli interception

On April 29, Israeli authorities intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla in Greece after the vessels had departed two weeks earlier from Barcelona with the stated goal of "breaking the blockade" on Gaza.

Abukeshek and Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila were detained during the operation and released ten days later.

Speaking by video from Brazil, Ávila said his imprisonment was "incomparable to what Palestinians have suffered" and urged supporters "not to be afraid of war criminals like Netanyahu."

Abukeshek also accused Israel of carrying out "a slow genocide against the Palestinian people" and criticized the European Union and the United States for supporting the Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu.