1,000 People Expected to Take Part in Humanitarian Aid Delivery to Gaza
The preparations continues on a ship called the Mediterranean, a vessel to carry much-needed humanitarian aid to Gaza.
A press conference held on the ship at a private shipyard in Tuzla, Istanbul said about 1,000 people are expected to take part in the massive aid effort.
Speaking at a meeting attended by activists from several countries including Germany, Malaysia, Palestine, Norway, Argentina, Spain, Canada, and South Africa, retired US soldier and former diplomat Ann Wright said that they first began efforts for Gaza in 2010 with the Mavi Marmara ship and seven other vessels, with participants from dozens of countries, and that they are here again for this humanitarian mission.
Ceasefire in Gaza crucial
Fauziah Mohd Hasan, a physician working with the Malaysian Freedom Flotilla Movement, said news outlets such as CNN and BBC have said that the problem in the region is caused by Iran or other countries, but in fact the situation is very different.
Saying the people living in Gaza are facing an impossible situation, Wright said the global community should seek justice for Gazans at international criminal courts and press for a ceasefire to end this genocide.
On what to do in case of an Israeli attack, Wright said, "Israel's record is quite full in this regard, according to international rules and international human rights. In this sense, Israel making a mistake once again is not a good situation for its own security."
Wright added that preparations are continuing and the public will be told soon when the ship will set sail.
Many journalists from the national and international press attended the meeting on the flotilla.
The Israeli regime waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023.
More than 34,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and over 76,800 others have been injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.
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The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
Source: Anadolu Agency
