Freedom Flotilla aid mission bound for Gaza Strip sets sail with Greta Thunberg on board
On board the boat Madleen is climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, who says the movement "has to keep trying" despite the risk of violence and interception.
Freedom Flotilla has tried repeatedly over the past 15 years to sail boats laden with aid and medical supplies into Gaza, which Israel has blockaded by sea since 2007.
Former crew member Michael Coleman, who was part of a previous mission in 2011, says those on board would be well-aware of the risks and low likelihood of reaching Gaza's shores.
Past attempts have been intercepted by Israeli forces, failed to leave port or, in the most recent instance, been subject to alleged drone attacks.
Mr Coleman was on board one of two boats carrying medical supplies and activists trying to break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip in 2011.
The Israeli navy said it advised the vessels to turn back or sail to Ashdod Port in Israel or to Egypt, but the activists refused to cooperate.
The navy boarded the two boats and detained the protesters.
"Comms were jammed and we were surrounded by a myriad of Israeli naval vessels, and they boarded using a water cannon and tasers, and used a fair bit of physical force," Mr Coleman said.
"We were strip searched, put on a bus and taken to an immigration facility, and then arrived at a prison really early the morning after."
Mr Coleman was held for a week in an Israeli prison before being deported back to Melbourne.
The most recent attempt was earlier this month when the ship Conscience was 13 nautical miles east of Malta when those on board said it was struck twice by a drone.
The ship sustained damage and lost power.
The coalition said Israel was to blame, though Israel has not commented.
"We don't have proof of if the drones are from Israel … [but], again, why would someone attack a humanitarian vessel carrying aid to Gaza?" a group spokesperson said at the time.
A blockade on Gaza has been in place since Hamas took power in 2007, with Israel controlling the entry of goods and aid into the strip.
At the time, Israel said the restrictions were due to Hamas's hostility and that the restrictions were part of counter-terror measures. Since the outbreak of the war in October 2023, entry of aid and goods into Gaza has become more tightly controlled.
There have been several previous attempts by the Freedom Flotilla to reach Gaza, and it made international headlines in 2010 when nine pro-Palestinian volunteers from Türkiye died en route.
In this instance, a convoy of ships led by a Turkish vessel set sail from Istanbul, carrying 600 people and 10,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid
During a night-time raid, Israeli commandos, backed by warships and helicopters, boarded the ships in international waters.
Israel put the blame for the deaths on the organisers of the aid flotilla, saying the entire voyage was a provocation by a group with links to terrorist organisations.
A second attempt was planned for 2011, but the ship was prevented from leaving a Greek port after being tied up by bureaucratic red tape, according to Mr Coleman who had intended to sail with the crew.
Later that year, he was on board the Canadian vessel Tahrir when the ship was intercepted and forced to travel instead towards the southern city of Ashdod.
"We got about 80 nautical miles off the coast [of Gaza] before the welcoming committee arrived," he said.
"I joke that I am a salesman for the world's worst Mediterranean cruise."
In 2015, Freedom Flotilla III, made up of four boats, set sail with 48 human rights activists, journalists, artists, and political figures representing 17 countries.
The Swedish ship Marianne was intercepted by the Israeli navy in international waters about 100 nautical miles from Gaza.
It was taken to the port of Ashdod and the rest of the ships were turned back.
Other ships have been blocked from making the journey over the years due to administrative and diplomatic setbacks.
In 2024, A humanitarian aid flotilla destined for Gaza was halted after Guinea Bissau decided to remove its flag from two vessels.
Australian Surya McEwen participated in this mission, as well as the mission from Malta earlier this year where a ship was allegedly attacked by drones.
He said 18 humanitarian workers were onboard at the time of the attack.
"The other 40-plus of us were preparing to meet the ship at sea a few short hours later," he said.
Mr McEwan acknowledged flotillas faced many "different challenges" in attempting to make it all the way to Gaza, and were often undermined or attacked "bureaucratically and militarily".
Despite this, he said these missions were crucial in not just delivering aid to those in need, but also providing "symbolic" support.
"There is a duty for people to act in whatever way possible to bring solidarity, to bring medicine and food, but also to bring hope to the people of Gaza," he said.
The situation in Gaza is the worst it has been since the war between Israel and Hamas militants began 19 months ago, the United Nations said on Friday, despite a resumption of limited aid deliveries in the Palestinian enclave.
Under growing global pressure, Israel ended an 11-week blockade on Gaza, allowing limited UN-led operations to resume.
On Monday, a new avenue for aid distribution was also launched — the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — backed by the United States and Israel, but with which the UN and international aid groups have refused to work, saying it is not neutral and has a distribution model that forces the displacement of Palestinians.
Ahead of the vessel's departure, Ms Thunberg, known initially for her climate activism said the ship will try to reach the shores of the Gaza Strip in an effort to bring in some aid and raise "international awareness" over the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
"We are doing this because, no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying," Thunberg said, bursting into tears during her speech.
"Because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity. And no matter how dangerous this mission is, it's not even near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the live-streamed genocide," she added.
Israel disputes suggestions its conduct in Gaza amounts to genocide, instead saying its actions are necessary to destroy Hamas. An International Court of Justice case brought by South Africa alleging genocide is yet to be resolved.
Among those joining the crew of the Madleen are Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent. She has been barred from entering Israel due to her active opposition to the Israeli assault on Gaza.
The activists expect to take seven days to get to their destination, if they are not stopped.
Mr Coleman says if the flotilla is not successful, it will at least raise awareness of the issue.
"It's been 80 days now that there's been any aid to the strip and the stories out of it are truly heartbreaking," he says.
"We'll sail until Palestine is free."
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