New Gaza flotilla planned for 3rd anniversary of Oct 7 invasion

Anti-Israel flotilla coalition announces new bid to run security blockade of the Gaza Strip this October, coinciding with third anniversary of the Hamas invasion.

By World Israel News Staff

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition announced plans Wednesday for a new attempt to reach the Gaza Strip by sea in October, months after Israeli naval forces intercepted more than 50 vessels and detained hundreds of activists during an earlier effort to breach the coastal enclave’s naval blockade.

Organizers said the new campaign will travel through a series of European ports before heading into the Mediterranean toward Gaza, with planned stops in Spain, Portugal and Italy.

“The Freedom Flotilla sails again because our governments continue to fail to uphold their obligations,” said Zohar Chamberlain Regev, a member of the coalition’s steering committee.

“At every port, we will carry the demand that Palestinians be free to live with dignity. In October, we intend to carry that demand and the solidarity of people around the world to Gaza’s shores.”

The coalition said the European portion of the voyage is intended not only to prepare for another attempt to reach Gaza but to build political pressure against Israel in countries along the route.

“At every stop, the flotilla will stand with local communities to press their own governments to end their complicity,” the group said, calling on governments to block weapons and energy shipments to Israel, end military and diplomatic cooperation and impose sanctions.

Organizers said the mission will include activists, trade unionists, elected officials, journalists and medical professionals. Public events, community gatherings and opportunities to visit the ships are also planned during the European port calls.

The October effort is already partly underway through separate voyages by vessels associated with the campaign.

The Handala II traveled through Scandinavia earlier this summer, visiting ports in Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Another vessel, the Kate, departed Bristol, England, in August and has since traveled through Ireland and continental Europe as part of the buildup toward the autumn mission.

The coalition acknowledged the prospect of another confrontation with Israeli forces.

“We know that sailing toward Gaza carries serious risks,” said Edward Digilio, an American engineer participating in the campaign. “But silence and inaction carry a much greater cost for Palestinians and the world.”

Israel has repeatedly said it will prevent ships from breaking its security blockade of Gaza, which was imposed after Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007.

The confrontation most likely to foreshadow what awaits the October mission occurred in May, when more than 50 vessels carrying hundreds of activists departed Marmaris, Turkey, as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla.

Israeli naval forces began intercepting the ships in international waters off Cyprus on May 18. By the following day, all 50 vessels had been stopped and 428 activists from more than 40 countries had been detained, according to flotilla organizers. Israel put the number aboard at 430.

The United States also took action against figures linked to the May flotilla.

On the same day that Israel completed the interception, the US Treasury Department imposed terrorism-related sanctions on four people associated with the campaign, alleging that the voyage had links to the US-designated Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad and was intended to support Hamas.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called it a “pro-terror flotilla” and said Washington would continue targeting Hamas’ international support networks. Flotilla activists have rejected allegations that their missions support Hamas, describing them instead as nonviolent efforts to challenge the blockade and draw attention to Palestinian humanitarian conditions.

The May operation itself followed two earlier attempts during the spring.

A flotilla that departed Barcelona in April was intercepted in international waters near Greece, with more than 100 activists eventually transferred to Crete. Two participants were detained in Israel amid Israeli allegations concerning their links to militant organizations, allegations disputed by supporters of the flotilla.

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