Pro-Palestinian activists, in collaboration with civil society organizations, have launched a campaign for a new maritime flotilla to the Gaza Strip.
The flotilla is scheduled to depart on April 12 from several ports in Spain, Italy, and Tunisia, with the stated goal of breaking the blockade on the strip and delivering aid.
Al-Arabi Al-Jadid reports that more than 200 vessels will participate in the flotilla, supported by the "Mavi Marmara" Freedom and Solidarity Association and the Turkish İHH Foundation, a humanitarian organization that focuses on protecting freedoms, human rights, and providing aid.
Bülent Yıldırım, president of the İHH Foundation, told the newspaper that the vessels participating in the flotilla will be purchased with donation funds. A large number of ships are planned to arrive, making it harder for Israel to prevent them from reaching the Gaza coast.
According to Yıldırım, thousands of people from 150 countries will participate in the flotilla, and its mission will be to deliver aid and bring medical personnel, teachers, infrastructure and environmental construction teams, lawyers, and war crimes investigators.
In October of last year, the Israeli Navy took control of ships from the "Freedom Coalition" flotilla that attempted to break the blockade on Gaza. The 150 participants in the flotilla were arrested without resistance and transferred to Ashdod port for further investigation and deportation from Israel.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying, "Another futile attempt to break the maritime blockade and enter a combat zone has ended in nothing."