Greta Thunberg, other activists plan to sail new aid flotilla to Gaza
Two other attempts by activists to deliver aid by ship to Gaza, in June and July, were blocked by Israel. Troops boarded their vessels and detained the activists before expelling them.
"On August 31st we are launching the biggest attempt ever to break the illegal Israeli siege over Gaza with dozens of boats sailing from Spain," the Swedish campaigner wrote on Instagram late Sunday.
"We will meet dozens more on September 4th sailing from Tunisia and other ports," she said.
The group will mobilise activists from 44 countries for the initiative dubbed "Global Sumud Flotilla", which will also include simultaneous demonstrations.
Humanitarian activists, doctors and artists -- including actors Susan Sarandon of the US, Gustaf Skarsgard of Sweden and Liam Cunningham of Ireland -- are due to take part.
The exact number of ships sailing to Gaza this time was not specified.
The "Global Sumud Flotilla" describes itself on its website as an "independent" organisation not affiliated with any government or political party.
Israel's 22-month offensive has killed at least 61,430 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, figures the United Nations says are reliable.
Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the war, resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
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Hindustan Times
13 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
EU condemns Israel's killing of journalists in Gaza
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Mint
13 minutes ago
- Mint
Increasing the danger: Journalist killing in Gaza sends a chilling message
Israel's targeted killing of an Al Jazeera correspondent in Gaza over the weekend was noteworthy even for a conflict remarkably blood-soaked for journalists, leaving some experts to marvel that any news at all emerges from the territory. An Al Jazeera executive said Monday that it won't back down from covering what is going on there and called for news organizations to step up and recruit more journalists. A total of 184 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed by Israel in the Gaza war since its start in October 2023, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. That compares to the 18 journalists and media workers killed so far in the Russia-Ukraine war, CPJ said. Aside from rare guided tours, Israel has barred international media from covering the 22-month war in Gaza. News organizations instead rely largely on Palestinian Gaza residents and ingenuity to show the world what is happening there. Israel often questions the affiliations and biases of Palestinian journalists but doesn't permit others in. 'You simply are in awe when stories show up,' said Jane Ferguson, a veteran war correspondent and founder of Noosphere, an independent platform for journalists. She can't recall a conflict that has been more difficult for reporters to cover, and she's reported from South Sudan, Syria and Afghanistan. Correspondent Anas al-Sharif knew he was a target, and left behind a message to be delivered upon his death. He and seven other people — six of them journalists — were killed in an air strike outside of Gaza City's largest hospital complex on Sunday. Israel swiftly claimed responsibility, saying without producing evidence that al-Sharif had led a Hamas cell. It was a claim the news organization and al-Sharif had denied. Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press, BBC News and Reuters are among the organizations regularly reporting from Gaza. An Aug. 7 AP dispatch vividly described the hunger faced by many in Gaza: 'A single bowl of eggplant stewed in watery tomato juice must sustain Sally Muzhed's family of six for the day. She calls it moussaka, but it's a pale echo of the fragrant, lawyered, meat-and-vegetable dish that once filled Gaza's kitchens with its aroma.' Other recent AP reports carried images and text reporting from the aftermath of an Israeli strike on Gaza's only Catholic church, and a profile of an 18-year-old aspiring doctor now trying to survive sheltered in a tent. Journalists from The Washington Post and the Guardian recently accompanied a Jordanian relief mission and took images of Gaza from the air, despite some restrictions from Israel. The Guardian's Lorenzo Tondo wrote: 'Seen from the air, Gaza looks like the ruins of an ancient civilization, brought to light after centuries of darkness.' 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'Tell me what words and phrases could help any journalist describe this horrific image. When I told you on air that it was an 'indescribable scene,' I was truly helpless in the face of this horrific sight.' Salah Negm, news director at Al Jazeera English, said Monday it is very difficult to get people in to Gaza. But it is full of educated people and those with training in journalism who can help get stories out. He called on other news organizations to step up. 'We get the news from several sources on the ground in Gaza — not only journalists but also doctors, hospitals, civil servants, aid workers,' Negm said. 'A lot of people in Gaza talk to us.' Many of the journalists working in Gaza are facing the same struggles to find food, for themselves and their families, as the people they are covering. Noosphere's Ferguson said she's never before had to ask a reporter whether she had enough food for herself and her child. In an interview in May on 'Democracy Now!,' 22-year-old journalist Abubaker Abed described the difficult decision he made to leave Gaza to pursue his education in Ireland. Not only was he suffering from malnutrition, he said, but his mother was concerned that his work as a journalist would make him and his family targets. 'If I stayed, I would die,' he said. Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalists, said she's concerned about the implications for journalists in future conflicts if what is happening in Gaza is allowed to continue without international condemnation that has real teeth. 'They're essentially admitting in public to what amounts to a war crime,' Ginsberg said, 'and they can do that because none of the other attacks on journalists have had any consequences. not in this war and not prior. It's not surprising that it can act with this level of impunity because no international government has really taken it to task.' Given all that they face, 'to me, the most remarkable thing is that journalists are continuing to cover (Gaza) at all,' she said. Laurie Kellman and Danica Kirk in London, Samy Magdy in Cairo and Sam Metz in Jerusalem contributed to this report. David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at and
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Australia to recognise Palestinian state, says Albanese; NZ mulling move
WELLINGTON (NZ): Australia will recognise a Palestinian state, PM Anthony Albanese said on Monday, joining the leaders of France, Britain and Canada in signalling they would do so. His remarks followed weeks of urging from within his cabinet to recognise a Palestinian state amid growing criticism over suffering in Gaza. Australia's govt has also criticised plans announced in by Israeli PM Netanyahu for a sweeping new military offensive in Gaza. Albanese told reporters after a cabinet meeting Monday that Australia's decision will be formalised at the UNGA in Sept. The acknowledgement was "predicated on commitments Australia has received from the Palestinian Authority," Albanese said. Those commitments included no role for Hamas in a Palestinian govt, demilitarisation of Gaza and the holding of elections, he said. Netanyahu on Sunday criticised Australia and other European countries that have moved to recognise a Palestinian state. "To have European countries and Australia march into that rabbit hole ... is disappointing and I think it's actually shameful," he said. In neighbouring New Zealand, foreign minister Winston Peters said Monday his govt "will carefully weigh up its position" on recognising a Palestinian state before making a decision in Sept. "New Zealand has been clear for some time that our recognition of a Palestinian state is a matter of when, not if," he said.
