AI calls for protection of steadfastness flotilla as it approaches Gaza, faces “Israeli” threats
Amnesty International called on Tuesday for protection of the Steadfastness Flotilla heading to the Gaza Strip in an attempt to break the Israeli blockade, expressing its concern over Israeli threats as it approaches the Gaza Strip’s shores.
In a joint statement by its branches in Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco, titled “Members of the Arab League must act to protect the Steadfastness Flotilla,” the organization said that it “expresses grave concern over the Israeli threats directed at the Steadfastness Flotilla, which is heading to Gaza to provide urgent and vital humanitarian aid.”
It added: “As the flotilla approaches a highly dangerous area, fears are growing that it will be intercepted by Israeli forces, especially after Israeli media reported that Israel intends to carry out a military operation at sea, approximately 180 kilometers from the Gaza coast, outside Israeli territorial waters.”
Amnesty International stated that the flotilla “includes more than 40 ships and hundreds of participants from 44 countries. This peaceful initiative aims to break the illegal blockade imposed by the Israeli occupation on the Gaza Strip for 18 years.”
It emphasized that the flotilla’s movement toward Gaza came “in light of systematic famine, the collapse of the health system, and the comprehensive (Israeli) blockade, making the delivery of humanitarian aid an urgent and necessary act of solidarity.”
It pointed out that “the Arab League countries have a special responsibility, as they have a legal duty to protect their citizens on the flotilla, in addition to the moral and political responsibility of the countries of the region regarding the illegal blockade imposed on Gaza.”
The international organization called for “public condemnation of any (potential) attack or obstruction of the flotilla and demanding immediate protection for all flotilla participants.”
Earlier in the day, the “Resilience Flotilla,” an international flotilla dedicated to breaking the Israeli blockade, announced that it was only about 370 kilometers from the Gaza Strip.
The International Committee for Breaking the Siege said on Facebook: “We are about 370 kilometers away from reaching Gaza.”
For days, the ships participating in the flotilla have been sailing toward Gaza, carrying humanitarian aid, particularly medical supplies, in an attempt to break the Israeli blockade.
The “Resilience Flotilla” includes the Freedom Flotilla Union, the Global Gaza Movement, the Resilience Flotilla, and the Malaysian organization “Sumud Nusantara.”
This is the first time that dozens of ships have sailed together toward the Gaza Strip, home to approximately 2.4 million Palestinians and besieged by the Israeli army.
The Israeli army has tightened the blockade on the Gaza Strip since March 2, closing all crossings and preventing any food, medicine, or humanitarian aid from entering. This has plunged the Strip into famine despite the backlog of aid trucks at its borders.
On August 22, the United Nations and its organizations officially declared a famine in the Gaza Strip and predicted it would spread to the Deir al-Balah and Khan Yunis governorates by the end of next September.
With American and European support, the Israeli enemy army has continued, since October 7, 2023, to commit crimes of genocide, siege, and starvation in the Gaza Strip.
The enemy crimes killed 66,097 Palestinian civilians, the majority of whom are children and women, and wounded 168,536 others.
To date, this is a preliminary toll, with thousands of victims still buried under the rubble and on the streets, unable to be reached by ambulances and rescue teams.