Latest news with #Conscience
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who's onboard the Madleen Gaza flotilla, and where has it reached so far?
The Madleen ship, launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), is en route towards Gaza carrying humanitarian aid and human rights activists protesting against Israel's illegal blockade of Gaza. The vessel has set sail in response to Israel's total aid blockade of the Palestinian enclave since March 2, which has resulted in the deaths of dozens of children due to starvation. More than 90 percent of the enclave's 2.3 million people are facing acute food shortages, according to aid groups. The Madleen, named after Gaza's first and only fisherwoman, departed Catania, Sicily on June 1, just one month after Israeli drones bombed Conscience, another Freedom Flotilla aid ship, off the coast of Malta. The 2,000km (1,250-mile) journey is expected to take seven days, provided there are no disruptions. The ship's location is being monitored live by Forensic Architecture through its onboard tracking system. The latest location as of June 3, at 15:00 GMT was some 600km (375 miles) from Sicily. There are 12 activists onboard the Madleen: Greta Thunberg – Swedish climate activist Rima Hassan – French-Palestinian Member of European Parliament Yasemin Acar – Germany Baptiste Andre – France Thiago Avila – Brazil Omar Faiad – France Pascal Maurieras – France Yanis Mhamdi – France Suayb Ordu – Turkiye Sergio Toribio – Spain Marco van Rennes – the Netherlands Reva Viard – France We are doing this because no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying, because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity. by - Greta Thunberg The FFC has emphasised that all volunteers and crew aboard Madleen are trained in nonviolence and are sailing unarmed in a peaceful act of civil resistance against Israel's actions in Gaza. Last month, another ship carrying aid to Gaza was hit by drones in international waters off Malta. The ship had been seeking to deliver aid following Israel's genocidal blockade of the besieged enclave. The FFC told Al Jazeera that the attack on the Conscience at 12:23pm local time (10:23 GMT) on May 2 blew a hole in the vessel and set the engine years ago, Israeli commandos carried out a deadly attack on Mavi Marmara, the largest ship in an aid flotilla carrying Turkish activists. The so-called Gaza Freedom Flotilla was carrying 10,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid and had set out from Istanbul in an attempt to break Israel's blockade of Gaza. Nine humanitarian volunteers were killed on May 31, 2010. Gaza has been under an Israeli land, sea and air blockade since 2007. According to a press release from the FFC, the Madleen is carrying supplies urgently needed by people in Gaza, including medical supplies, flour, rice, baby formula, nappies, women's sanitary products, water desalination kits, crutches and children's prosthetics. One in five Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is facing starvation because of Israel's three-month-long total blockade of the Strip. According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, 1.95 million people – 93 percent of the enclave's population – are facing acute food shortages. The IPC says Israel's continued blockade 'would likely result in further mass displacement within and across governorates', as items essential for people's survival will be depleted. Despite an Israeli-led and US-backed aid distribution organisation called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation being set up last month to deliver aid into Gaza, its new distribution hub disintegrated into chaos within hours of opening on May 27 and has been marred with even more controversy following deadly shootings at aid distribution sites. Israel has been accused of luring Palestinians to aid centres and killing more than 100 of them in the past eight days. Israel has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians since it launched its devastating offensive on October 7, 2023.
Al Manar
11 hours ago
- General
- Al Manar
Freedom Flotilla Heads to Gaza: Israeli Occupation Navy Threatens to Intercept Aid Vessel
The Israeli occupation navy is reportedly preparing to intercept the ship 'Madleen,' which set sail from Sicily toward the Gaza Strip in an attempt to break the suffocating maritime blockade imposed by the Israeli occupation. The report, aired Tuesday by the Israeli Army Radio, comes amid growing international efforts to challenge Israel's ongoing siege on the coastal enclave. The Israeli occupation army announced it is fully prepared to deal with a range of scenarios, stating that any actions taken will follow political directives. The vessel is expected to reach the area in the coming days. Don't Lose the 'Madleen': Track Her Journey to Gaza In partnership with @ForensicArchi , we've equipped the Madleen with a live tracker to ensure safety, accountability, and global solidarity.#FreedomFlotilla #BreakTheSiege #AllEyesOnGaza #AllEyesOnDeck — Freedom Flotilla Coalition (@GazaFFlotilla) June 1, 2025 The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), an international non-profit organization working to end the blockade on Gaza, confirmed that one of its ships departed the Italian port of Catania on Sunday. The mission carries humanitarian aid and aims to draw attention to the worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, following a failed attempt earlier this year when another flotilla ship was attacked by two drones in the Mediterranean. The Madleen carries several international volunteers, including Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg and Irish actor Liam Cunningham. The ship holds a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid, representing a broader call to end the siege and expose what organizers describe as war crimes committed against Gaza's population. In early May, a different vessel operated by the coalition 'Conscience' was attacked by two drones near Maltese waters. The coalition squarely blamed the Israeli occupation for the assault, although Zionist authorities have issued no official statement. A month after attack on #Conscience #FreedomFlotilla ⛵ #Madleen sets sail for #Gaza. 'We cannot be silent bystanders. Every single one of us has a moral obligation to do everything we can to fight for a free #Palestine.' @GretaThunberg #AllEyesOnDeck — Free Gaza Australia (@GFFAusGroup) June 1, 2025 At a press conference ahead of the ship's departure, Greta Thunberg declared, 'We are carrying out this mission because, no matter the dangers, we must keep trying. To stop is to lose our humanity.' 'No matter how grave the risks, they are nothing compared to the silence of the world in the face of genocide,' she added. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition emphasized that the mission is not merely humanitarian. It is a peaceful but direct action to challenge what it describes as an illegal blockade and to expose the escalating crimes being committed against the people of Gaza. Meanwhile, the United Nations confirmed on Friday that the humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached its worst stage since the Israeli occupation war on the besieged Gaza Strip began 19 months ago—despite the limited and insufficient resumption of aid deliveries.
The Herald Scotland
15 hours ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Greta Thunberg sailing to Gaza on aid ship after drone attack setback
Another vessel operated by the group, the Conscience, was hit by two drones just outside Maltese territorial waters in early May. FFC said Israel was to blame for the incident. Israel has not responded to requests for comment. More: Activist aid ship hit by drones on way to Gaza, NGO says "We are doing this because no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying, because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity," Thunberg told reporters at a conference before the departure. She added that "no matter how dangerous this mission is, it is nowhere near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the lives being genocised". FFC said the trip "is not charity. This is a non-violent, direct action to challenge Israel's illegal siege and escalating war crimes". The situation in Gaza is the worst since the war between Israel and Hamas militants began 19 months ago, the United Nations said on May 30, despite a resumption of limited aid deliveries in the Palestinian enclave. More: US proposes 60-day ceasefire for Gaza; hostage-prisoner swap, plan shows Under growing global pressure, Israel ended an 11-week blockade on Gaza, allowing limited U.N.-led operations to resume. On June 2, a new avenue for aid distribution was also launched - the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation - backed by the United States and Israel, but with which the U.N. and international aid groups have refused to work, saying it is not neutral and has a distribution model that forces the displacement of Palestinians. (Reporting by Danilo Arnone in Catania and Giulia Segreti in Rome.)
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Greta Thunberg's Gaza trip sums up the dangerous narcissism of our woke elite
Bored with saving the planet, Greta Thunberg now wants to save Gaza. Yes, Sweden's prophetess of doom has a new moral crusade. It's no longer the coming heat death of the Earth that keeps her up at night – it's Israel's 'live-streamed genocide' in Gaza, as she calls it. She and a gaggle of self-righteous pals have set sail for that benighted strip of land. They departed Sicily yesterday, their boat a riot of keffiyehs and Palestine flags. They hope to dock in Gaza in a week's time. Their aim is nothing less than to 'break the Israeli blockade' of Gaza. 'We are seeing a systematic starvation of two million people. Every single one of us has a moral obligation to do everything we can to fight for a free Palestine', said Ms Thunberg. Of all the smug stunts of the faux-virtuous activist class, this is surely the most preposterous. The idea that 12 woke fainthearts from Europe might 'liberate' Gaza would be funny if it were not so dangerous. What does Ms Thunberg plan to do when she gets there? Bellow: 'HOW DARE YOU' at a column of IDF soldiers? Such daft antics might work on the self-hating political elites of the West who love nothing more than being told off by eco-pompous children. But it won't wash with the army of the Jewish State that is in hot pursuit of the anti-Semitic terrorists that butchered more than a thousand Israelis on October 7 2023. Game of Thrones star, Liam Cunningham, is on the boat too. So he's gone from doing fantasy drama to doing fantasy politics. He cosplayed as the 'onion knight' in that TV show – now he's cosplaying as a white knight who might rescue the wretched of Gaza from Israel's cruel grip. This is sanctimony on the high seas. It is oceangoing virtue-signalling. It's a self-serving stunt masquerading as a daring act of charity. It will achieve precisely nothing for people in Gaza. If Gaza's two million inhabitants really are being 'systematically starved' – they aren't – then how on earth will a small boat carrying little more than boxes of spare keffiyehs and turbo-smug activists help them? The aim of these seafaring missionaries is less to draw attention to the undoubted suffering of people in Gaza than to advertise their own puffed-up moral rectitude. The boat Greta and chums originally intended to sail on – before it was allegedly damaged in a drone strike near Malta – was called 'Conscience'. That sums up the colossal immodesty and self-regard of the Gaza saviours. These unmerry few fancy themselves as the 'conscience' of humanity. I reckon that boat was called 'Conscience' because 'Look How Wonderful and Caring We Are!' wouldn't fit on the hull. The most hilarious part of this watery clown show is that as these narcissists cross the Mediterranean wailing 'Feed Gaza!', that's exactly what Israel is doing. Israel has handed out millions of meals over the past week through its Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). In the first four days, the GHF gave an astonishing 2,170,822 meals to Gaza's needy. If these numbers stay consistent, then in the seven days Greta and her apostles are on their stupid boat, Israel will give Gazans close to four million meals. What a perfect illustration of the hollow virtue of 21st-century activism: as the Israel-haters bloviate on their boat to any media channel that will listen, Israel does the hard graft of feeding Gaza. As they take selfies of themselves sobbing into their keffiyehs over what a uniquely barbarous nation Israel is, Israel is literally saving Palestinian lives. They do moral pantomime, for likes and clicks – Israel does actual aid, with very little thanks. Rarely has the pointless and performative nature of modern Left activism been so gloriously exposed. All that these boat people have to offer to Gaza is cheap slogans and lame platitudes. They can't eat those, Greta. It's clear now that the old omnicause of 'the climate' has been replaced by the new omnicause of hating Israel. It's out with the hemp sweaters, in with the keffiyeh. Out with the hysterics about billions dying at the altar of modernity, in with the equally shrill claim that millions of Palestinians will perish as a result of Israeli wickedness. I can't be the only person who finds it chilling that the world's only Jewish nation has become the target of rich, bored Westerners' fashionable rage. This activism isn't just risible – it's dangerous. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Greta Thunberg aboard Gaza-bound aid ship despite drone strike
CATANIA: International nonprofit organisation Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) said one of its vessels left the Italian port of Catania on Sunday, heading for Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid, after a previous attempt failed due to a drone attack on a separate ship in the Mediterranean. The crew of volunteers, including climate activist Greta Thunberg and Irish actor Liam Cunningham, set sail on the Madleen, carrying barrels of what the group called "limited amounts, though symbolic", of relief supplies. Another vessel operated by the group, the Conscience, was hit by two drones just outside Maltese territorial waters in early May. FFC said Israel was to blame for the incident. Israel has not responded to requests for comment. "We are doing this because no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying, because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity," Thunberg told reporters at a conference before the departure. She added that "no matter how dangerous this mission is, it is nowhere near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the lives being genocised". FFC said the trip "is not charity. This is a non-violent, direct action to challenge Israel's illegal siege and escalating war crimes". The situation in Gaza is the worst since the war between Israel and Hamas 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. - Reuters
