International organizations, including Amnesty International, called for protection for the "Resilience Flotilla," while the United Nations affirmed that any attack on it was "unacceptable."
Palestinian activist Mohammed Qatish, a participant in the Global Steadfastness Flotilla, said on Wednesday that only 80 nautical miles separate them from the Gaza Strip, stressing that they will continue sailing despite "Israeli intimidation."
This came in a telephone interview conducted by Qatish with Anadolu Agency from aboard the ship Muhammad Bahar, as the flotilla announced at dawn on Wednesday that it had entered the strict no-go zone as it approached the Gaza coast.
"We are only a few hours away from reaching the shores of Gaza to break the Israeli siege on our people there," Qatish said.
Activists from the Global Steadfastness Flotilla stressed on Wednesday the need to halt the genocide Israel has been perpetrating in the Gaza Strip for nearly two years and the importance of delivering humanitarian aid to Palestinians. They called on the international community to take urgent action to save the Strip.
Activist Ayçin Kantaoğlu stressed the need to stop these crimes and make those responsible feel remorseful, noting that the genocide in Gaza has been ongoing since October 7, 2023, and will mark two years in a few days.
For her part, Izzy Brisini said: "Even if the flotilla does not reach Gaza or is intercepted, we need urgent action across the world to stop the genocide, break the siege, and put an end to the apartheid system that the Palestinian people are fighting to end."
Omar Othman Tashtan pointed out that Israel is committing genocide against the people of Gaza and is seeking to starve Palestinians to death. He explained that Palestinians have been subjected to genocide for nearly 80 years, and that it began only two years ago.
He expressed his shame at the international community's inability to act, saying, "God willing, with the help of our ships and the world's awareness, we can say, 'Enough is enough,' and finally save Palestine."
For her part, Sofia Bouchou emphasized that this critical moment, two years into the ongoing genocide, represents the last opportunity for the human community to engage, adding, "I believe that the Palestinians and Palestine will liberate and unite the world. We owe them a great deal, so I hope by any means possible that this genocide will end. It cannot be allowed to continue, and we are with you."
This morning, the Steadfastness Flotilla announced that it had entered the "extreme danger zone" off the coast of Gaza, where Israel typically intercepts ships heading to the Strip.
International organizations, including Amnesty International, called for protection for the flotilla, while the United Nations affirmed that any attack on it was "unacceptable." Israel has previously engaged in piracy against ships bound for Gaza, seizing them and deporting the activists on board.
This is the first time that more than 50 ships have set sail together for Gaza, carrying 532 civil society activists from more than 45 countries.
Israel has been blockading the Gaza Strip 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 war of extermination.
On March 2, it tightened the blockade by closing all crossings into Gaza, preventing any food, medicine, or humanitarian aid from entering the Strip, plunging the Strip into famine despite the backlog of aid trucks at its borders.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with American support, has been committing genocide in Gaza, leaving 66,148 martyrs and 168,716 wounded, most of them children and women, and a famine that has claimed the lives of 455 Palestinians, including 151 children.
