Latest news with #MaviMarmara
The National
2 days ago
- General
- The National
'Freedom Flotilla' sets sail for Gaza with Greta Thunberg on board
Climate activist Greta Thunberg, Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham and a French politician barred from entering Israel are setting sail from Italy on Sunday as part of a 'Freedom Flotilla", with the goal of reaching Gaza to deliver humanitarian supplies and protest against the war. The organisation, which has been sending vessels to Gaza for more than a decade, has faced Israeli military retaliation throughout its existence. In April, one of its ships was hit by armed drones, with organisers blaming Israel, although no one has yet claimed the attack. In 2010, Israeli forces killed 10 Turkish activists belonging to the group on the Mavi Marmara after a naval interception near the coast of Gaza. Ten Israeli troops were wounded in the attack. The latest vessel is setting sail from Sicily in a 'small but mighty yacht' called Madleen, named in 2014 after Gaza's only fisherwoman, the organisation's website said. It says the flotilla is "carrying a cargo of hope and humanitarian aid". Speaking on the deck as the vessel prepared to set sail, Ms Thunberg said the mission was 'about the Palestinians who are being systematically starved and ethnically cleansed" by Israel. 'The real news story today is not that we are setting sail towards Gaza. It is the fact that we have to be here,' she added. 'It falls on us to be the adults in the room … we have to keep our promise to the Palestinians to do everything in our power to protest the genocide and to try to open up the humanitarian corridor and break the siege. 'No matter what the odds are against us we have to keep trying, because the moment we stop trying we lose our humanity. No matter how dangerous this mission is it is nowhere near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world.' French politician Rima Hassan said on Friday the latest voyage was to 'condemn the humanitarian blockade and continuing genocide, the impunity granted to the state of Israel and raise international awareness'. Ms Hassan, a member of left-wing party France Unbowed, was due to visit the occupied Palestinian territories in February with a European Parliament delegation, but said she was refused entry to Israel. Aid has begun trickling back into Gaza in recent days, but humanitarian groups warn the war-ravaged enclave is facing mass starvation. The White House said on Thursday that Israel had "signed off" on a new US ceasefire proposal, but Hamas said it could not accept the deal.
The National
3 days ago
- General
- The National
'Freedom Flotilla' setting sail for Gaza with Greta Thunberg on board
Climate activist Greta Thunberg, Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham and a French politician banned from entering Israel are setting sail from Italy on Sunday as part of a 'Freedom Flotilla", with the goal of reaching Gaza to deliver humanitarian supplies and protest the war. The organisation, which has been sending vessels to Gaza for more than a decade, has seen Israeli military retaliation throughout its existence. In April, one of its ships was hit by armed drones, with organisers blaming Israel, although no one has yet claimed the attack. In 2010, Israeli forces killed 10 Turkish activists belonging to the group on the Mavi Marmara after a naval interception near the coast of Gaza. Ten Israeli troops were wounded in the raid. The latest vessel is setting sail from Sicily in a 'small but mighty yacht' called 'Madleen,' named in 2014 after Gaza's only fisherwoman, the organisation's website said. It says the flotilla is "carrying a cargo of hope and humanitarian aid". Speaking on the deck as the vessel prepared to set sail, Ms Thunberg said the mission was 'about the Palestinians who are being systematically starved and ethnically cleansed and genocided by Israel'. 'The real news story today is not that we are setting sail towards Gaza. [It] is the fact that we have to be here,' she added. 'It falls on us to be the adults in the room … We have to keep our promise to the Palestinians to do everything in our power to protest the genocide and to try to open up the humanitarian corridor and break the siege. 'No matter what the odds are against us we have to keep trying, because the moment we stop trying we lose our humanity. No matter how dangerous this mission is it is nowhere near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world.' French politician Rima Hassan said on Friday the latest voyage was to 'condemn the humanitarian blockade and continuing genocide, the impunity granted to the state of Israel and raise international awareness'. Ms Hassan, a member of left-wing party France Unbowed, was due to visit the occupied Palestinian territories in February with a European Parliament delegation, but said she was refused entry to Israel. Aid has begun trickling back into Gaza in recent days, but humanitarian groups warn the war-ravaged territory is facing mass starvation. The White House said on Thursday Israel had "signed off" on a new Gaza ceasefire proposal by President Donald Trump, but Palestinian militant group Hamas said it could not accept the deal.
Otago Daily Times
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Sky's the limit with Trump's support
The damaged Gaza Freedom Flotilla vessel Conscience anchored at sea outside Maltese territorial waters, after it was bombed by drones while carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. PHOTO: REUTERS Israel may or may not have God on its side (opinions vary), but it certainly has the United States government on its side, and that seems to be enough. It has just attacked an unarmed civilian ship called Conscience with armed drones near Malta in the central Mediterranean, almost 2000km from Israel - and nobody has said ''boo''. Sceptics please note: Israel has not formally claimed responsibility for the operation. The culprit might theoretically have been any other country from Albania to Zimbabwe, but I am assuming the only country with a motive for the attack probably did carry out the attack. When the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the group that sent the Conscience, sent an earlier aid convoy to Gaza bearing 10,000 tonnes of aid in 2010, Israel waited until the ship Mavi Marmara neared the coast and sent commandos who abseiled down from helicopters. Ten civilians were killed and 28 injured, and there was an almighty international uproar about it. That was really the main purpose of the trip. Israel can always be counted on to overreact, and the Coalition expected to exploit that overreaction to turn the spotlight on the perpetual Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. The sponsors of the Mavi Marmara probably didn't expect so many dead, or even any dead, but in terms of publicity it was all grist for the mill. Drones have made it a lot easier for Israel this time. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's regime was able to disable the ship much further away, and although it couldn't be sure nobody on the Conscience would be killed, there would at least be fewer dead. But frankly, there wouldn't have been much outcry now even if the Israelis had sunk it with all hands. It wouldn't have mattered all that much even if Swedish activist Greta Thunberg had gone down with the ship - she was scheduled to join it the next day. Israel has carte blanche to do anything it likes in Gaza, with the possible exception of Israeli actions that Donald Trump strongly disagrees with - and he hasn't found any yet. Unsurprisingly, this has unleashed a huge, although lopsided, culture war in Israel. When all doors are open and every choice seems possible, everybody is under pressure to come out and state their real desires. In Israel, this has brought an ideological struggle between those who cling to older Jewish values and the relatively recent ethno-nationalist majority out into the open. Israel's official goals in Gaza are the return of the remaining hostages and the destruction of Hamas, but the wholesale removal of Palestinians from the territory controlled by Israel is now openly discussed. For example, the day before Netanyahu broke the ceasefire and resumed military operations on March 18, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he hoped the bombing would begin the ''mass transfer'' of Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip to other destinations, presumably outside Israeli-ruled territories. ''Even if the process is slow at first, it will gradually pick up pace and intensity. ''There won't be anything for the Gazans in Gaza. ''After we go back to fighting and all of Gaza looks like Jabaliya (utterly obliterated), there will be nothing for them there.'' However, it would be ''a huge logistical operation to get such vast numbers of people out of here''. Smotrich is from the far-right of Netayahu's coalition, but Defence Minister Israel Katz agrees. ''I instructed the IDF to capture additional areas, evacuate the population, and expand the security zone around Gaza ... through a permanent hold of the area by Israel. ''As long as Hamas refuses [to free the hostages] it will lose more land.'' The process is already under way. The voices of those who defend the old values are fewer and weaker. ''It's crystal-clear that the renewal of the war is for political reasons and not for security reasons,'' retired air force pilot Guy Poran wrote in an open letter. The letter was signed by a thousand other air force reservists and retired officers. However, such protests have no visible effect on policy. Netanyahu called the signatories of the letter ''an extreme fringe group that is once again trying to break Israeli society from within'' and ordered the dismissal of all active-duty officers who had signed the letter. The Israel Defence Forces are being politicised even faster than the US armed forces. Surprises are still possible. Netanyahu's policies are unsustainable without Trump's unhesitating support, and Trump has the attention span and the emotional volatility of a 4-year-old. But 70% of Gaza is already effectively out of bounds for Palestinians, and barring some surprise about-turn the Great Eviction is getting under way. Where to remains to be seen, but they certainly can't stay in the Trump Riviera. • Gwynne Dyer is an independent London journalist.
Scoop
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Attack On Life-Saving Aid Boat Proves The Reach Of Israel's Out-of-Control Genocide Through Starvation Is Now Global
Israel's drone attack on the Freedom Flotilla boat 'Conscience' shows Israel's genocide strategy has now gone global, according to PSNA. The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa says the attack in international waters is a thoroughly predictable war crime, committed by an out-of-control Israel, intent on violence anywhere to uphold its starvation strategy for Gaza. The 'Conscience' was loaded with life-saving humanitarian aid for Gaza and was attacked and disabled off the coast of Malta. 'It's another war crime to add to Israel's blood-soaked reputation' says PSNA Co-National Chair John Minto. 'This is a cowardly attack on the best of humanity trying to get aid to more than two million desperate and starving people.' 'Israel has blocked all aid for more than two months in an attempt to starve them to death.' 'This brazen attack in international waters shows how emboldened Israel has become by the silence of Western governments such as New Zealand.' Minto is pointing to the UN Panel of Inquiry in 2011 on a similar Israeli attack on the Turkish aid vessel the Mavi Marmara the year before. It was chaired by former New Zealand Prime Minster Sir Geoffrey Palmer. Palmer found that Israel used 'excessive and unreasonable force' in boarding the vessel and killing ten people on board. 'But Palmer also said that Israel had conducted a 'legitimate security measure'. I wonder how Geoffrey Palmer feels about legitimising that action now,' Minto says. 'Palestinian Solidarity Network Aotearoa is calling on the New Zealand government to condemn the aggression on what is an unarmed, civilian vessel in international waters.' 'When Ansar Allah (Houthis) in Yemen did this to Israeli vessels to try to stop the genocide in Gaza, New Zealand involved itself by sending military support to western countries to bomb Yemen.' 'We are not calling on the government to send military support for the bombing of Israel. However, if New Zealand really believes in the freedom of passage of unarmed vessels in international waters, it must condemn Israeli outright for this cowardly attack on the 'Conscience'.' Minto says to maintain any credibility the government is also overdue and obligated to end its months long silence over other Israeli actions. 'Top of the list is Israel's war crime use of starvation in Gaza as a weapon of war. But the government must also condemn the Israeli army ethnic cleansing and assisting settler attacks in Occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank.' 'Israel is building new illegal settlements there at an unprecedented rate.' 'Israel has also just conducted unprovoked major military assaults on Syria. Our Foreign Minister must surely know about these things, and we are at a loss to know why he says and does nothing.'
Times of Oman
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
Ship carrying aid, 16 people to Gaza explodes
Gaza City: A ship carrying 16 people and humanitarian aid to Gaza was rocked by explosions early on Friday off the coast of Malta, setting the vessel on fire and putting it at risk of sinking, according to the human rights group operating the ship, New York Times reported. The ship and its crew were safe after a tug vessel helped extinguish the blaze following a mayday call, the government of Malta said in a statement. It did not say what had caused the fire, adding that the authorities were monitoring the ship, which was in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea, as per NYT. The ship, called The Conscience and operated by a group called the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, had left Tunisia earlier this week carrying human rights activists and aid. The group has challenged Israel's blockade of Gaza by delivering humanitarian aid there. Before going to Gaza, the ship was scheduled to stop in Malta and pick up about 40 more people, including the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, said Yasemin Acar, a spokeswoman for the group, NYT reported. The Israeli military has blocked past attempts by pro-Palestinian activists to bring aid to Gaza by sea, including by force. In 2010, nine passengers aboard the Mavi Marmara, a flotilla carrying aid from Turkey to Gaza, were killed in an Israeli commando raid, sparking international outrage and a deterioration in Turkish-Israeli relations. Crew members on the ship believed they had been hit by a drone attack, the coalition said. At around 12:20 am (local time), armed drones fired two bombs at the front of the ship when the ship neared Malta, the coalition said in a statement. That set off a fire, caused a substantial breach in the hull and broke the generator on board, leaving the crew without power. Parts of the group's account could not be independently confirmed. Video provided by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and verified by The New York Times appears to show a fire on the ship's deck as an alarm rings out. Security footage recorded after the reported time of the fire shows people on the ship assessing the damage as a man holds a fire extinguisher. The authorities in Malta said they received a mayday call from a passenger vessel of the same name at around 12:20am, reporting a fire on the bow. No casualties were reported, the Maltese government said. It was unclear on Friday morning whether the damaged ship would be allowed to dock in Malta. A nearby tug vessel with firefighting equipment helped to bring the fire under control by 1:30am, according to Malta's statement. Less than an hour later, the crew were confirmed to be safe. Ann Wright, another spokeswoman for the group, said that the crew had stayed aboard instead of evacuating to keep watch over the ship. The group has asked the crew to pick up the debris from the explosions so that it could undergo forensic examination, which would help determine whether a weapon had been used, Wright said, as per NYT. It was not clear who was responsible for the explosions on the flotilla near Malta on Friday. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But Israel has restricted humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip, barring it most recently since March in an effort to pressure Hamas into accepting a proposal to extend a ceasefire. There were 12 crew members and four civilian passengers on board the ship, according to the Maltese government and the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition called on the international community to condemn the attack.
