In Elazig, southeastern Turkey, the Al-Aqsa Platform organized an event on Friday evening at the July 15 Democracy Square, where citizens gathered, waving Palestinian flags, to express their rejection of the Israeli blockade. The platform's spokesman, Osman Gur, said the situation in Gaza had "become beyond tolerance," asserting that civilians were being forced to starve amid international silence despite the daily massacres.
In Erzincan, the Palestine Solidarity Platform organized a vigil in Qızlay Square, during which participants carried Palestinian and Turkish flags and banners denouncing the blockade. The platform's spokesperson, Zakir Yildiz, stated that "the Global Steadfastness Flotilla represents humanity's conscience in the face of the occupation's crimes."
In Artvin, a similar vigil was held in Khalid Pasha Square at the invitation of the Palestine Support Platform, with the participation of representatives of political parties and civil society organizations. Osman Delibaş, head of the province's branch of the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), said that the ongoing massacres in Gaza over the past two years have reached the level of "genocide," emphasizing that the flotilla "is not just a humanitarian initiative, but a movement of conscience that expresses the continuation of hope despite the blockade."
The "Global Steadfastness Flotilla" set sail last Sunday from the Spanish port of Barcelona, with approximately 20 ships, followed by another convoy from the Italian port of Genoa. It is expected to join the Maghreb fleet departing from Tunisia next Sunday before heading to Gaza. The flotilla consists of the Freedom Flotilla Union, the Global Gaza Movement, the Steadfastness Flotilla, and the Malaysian organization "Sumud Nusantara."
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With demonstrations and banners, the Steadfastness Flotilla mobilizes Maghreb and Libyan support before setting sail for the besieged Gaza Strip.
Israel has been blockading Gaza for 18 years, leaving approximately 1.5 million Palestinians out of a population of approximately 2.4 million in the Strip homeless after their homes were destroyed by the ongoing war of extermination that has lasted for nearly two years.
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving 64,300 Palestinians dead and 162,005 injured, most of them children and women. More than 9,000 are missing, hundreds of thousands are displaced, and 376 Palestinians, including 134 children, are facing famine.
