By Maryam Qarehgozlou / PRESS TV
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s “Madleen” set sail early on Sunday (June 1st) in a daring attempt to break the three-month-long aid blockade of the besieged and war-ravaged Gaza Strip, just months after Israeli drones attacked another FFC vessel, the “Conscience.”
The “Madleen” disembarked from Catania, Sicily, carrying humanitarian aid and several prominent activists, including some prominent personalities.
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, European Member of Parliament Rima Hassan, Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham, and Palestinian-American lawyer Huwaida Arraf are among those who joined the voyage.
FFC is a global, grassroots solidarity movement that came into being in 2010. Comprised of various campaigns and initiatives, the FFC collaborates to bring an end to Israel’s unlawful blockade of Gaza amid the ongoing genocidal war, operating on a people-to-people basis.
This marks the FFC’s second attempt to deliver vital aid to Gaza since May, after Israeli drones attacked their previous vessel, the “Conscience,” in international waters near Malta.
Since March 2, the Israeli regime has barred all aid trucks from entering Gaza, deliberately subjecting the 2.3 million civilians to starvation for over 90 days.
Experts and activists estimate that Gaza requires a minimum of 600 aid trucks per day to meet basic needs, yet not a single truck has been allowed in for over three months.
In an attempt to evade international scrutiny, Israel claimed to partially lift its blockade of Gaza last week. However, only a meager amount of aid was allowed into the Palestinian territory through controversial US-backed ‘Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’ (GHF) distribution stations, which were manned by American mercenaries and Israeli war criminals.
Many like Gaza-based activist Wissam Hammed see the so-called ‘humanitarian mission’ as an excuse for the Americans to “take over” Gaza in line with Trump’s ambitious proclamation.
Over the past week, the Israeli regime has killed hundreds of Palestinians and wounded many more at GHF sites by firing indiscriminately at those waiting in line at the distribution points.
The UN and other humanitarian organizations are boycotting the initiative, noting that Israel is seeking to consolidate and control aid distribution across the coastal territory, further weaponizing food and starvation against the local population.
MEP Hassan said in a short video on social media that the trip by the “Madleen” is a protest against the Israeli regime as much as an attempt to deliver essential aid to Gaza.
“The first [goal] being, of course, to reject the blockade of humanitarian aid, the ongoing genocide, the impunity enjoyed by Israel, and to raise global international awareness,” she said.
“This action is also in response to the attack that took place on May 2 against the previous ship that took place in international waters near Malta.”
What happened to the ‘Conscience’?
On May 2, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s “Conscience,” crewed by volunteers from over 21 countries, set sail for Malta in its mission to challenge Israel’s illegal and deadly Gaza blockade.
That same morning, the unarmed humanitarian vessel was attacked by two Israeli military drones, which set it ablaze and caused significant hull damage. The FFC condemned the attack as a “deliberate act of aggression and intimidation.”
The drone strikes targeted the ship’s generator and life-support systems, severing communications and leaving the crew powerless, posing the risk of the vessel sinking.
CNN reported that an Israeli Air Force C-130 Hercules flew toward Malta hours before the attack. Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft flew low over eastern Malta for an extended period before returning to Israeli-occupied territories.
After the attack, the Maltese Coast Guard denied the “Conscience” safe entry and withheld crucial assistance, leaving injured crew members stranded on board for hours amid fears of further aggression.
According to the FFC, a tugboat arrived shortly after the strikes but initially offered no aid, instead circling the burning ship for about an hour before finally activating its water hose to douse the fire.
The blaze took nearly two hours to extinguish. The tugboat repeatedly urged the crew to abandon ship.
“However, doing so would have rendered the vessel, together with the humanitarian aid on board, vulnerable to seizure, further jeopardizing our ability to continue our effort to sail and break the siege of Gaza. This may have been the intended outcome,” FFC said.
On May 3, a delegation of FFC volunteers from 13 countries attempted to reach the “Conscience” to support the crew, but their boats were intercepted by the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM).
After more than two weeks of unjustifiable delay and denial of safe harbor, Maltese authorities finally allowed the damaged ship to depart.
The Marine Casualty Damage Report for the “Conscience,” obtained after persistent requests to Maltese authorities, confirms key FFC assertions: the vessel suffered two aerial attacks, with no internal explosions or hazardous materials onboard, and the fire was caused by external impacts.
The report also verifies that no weapons were found, only humanitarian aid was aboard.
Despite these findings, Maltese and European Union authorities have yet to authorize an independent investigation into the incident.
“The attack on the Conscience is not an isolated event but part of a decades-long pattern of impunity, now extending far beyond Gaza’s borders,” the FFC said in a statement on May 20.
According to the coalition, the gruesome attack has drawn little reaction from governments or mainstream media.
“This was yet another test of the world’s principles, and once again, the world failed,” said Tan Safi, a coalition volunteer.
‘Madleen’ carrying a ‘cargo of hope’
In mid-May, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), confronting “state terrorism, media silence, and mounting global complicity,” announced its second mission to break the Israeli genocidal regime’s illegal blockade of Gaza.
“We are preparing our next vessel, Madleen, named in 2014 after Gaza’s only fisherwoman at the time; a symbol of resistance and resilience, to sail in May to Gaza, carrying our solidarity with Palestinians and our cargo of hope,” FFC said in a statement at the time.
Madleen Kolab, now around 30, was a teenager when she took over her father’s fishing business after he was injured in an Israeli attack.
The ship carries vital supplies for Gaza’s residents, including baby formula, diapers, medical equipment, food staples, women’s sanitary products, water desalination kits, prosthetics for children, and mobility aids.
The launch of Madleen coincides with the 15th anniversary of the deadly Israeli raid on the humanitarian vessel Mavi Marmara, another FFC ship that carried over 500 activists and supplies to challenge Gaza’s siege.
On May 31, 2010, Israeli forces attacked the ship in international waters, massacring ten volunteers and injuring and abducting numerous others to prevent the flotilla from reaching the Gaza Strip.
Fifteen years later, the Gaza Strip is still under siege, which has been exacerbated by the ongoing Israeli genocidal war that started nearly 20 months ago, killing more than 54,000 Palestinians so far.
The FFC said it acknowledges the risks associated with the “Madleen” mission but emphasizes its unwavering determination to respond to Palestinians’ calls for assistance.
“Yet we also move forward with renewed determination—because Palestinians in Gaza still call, and the world must respond,” the group said in a statement.
This mission, FFC said, upholds Mavi Marmara’s legacy of perseverance in the face of fear, silence, and complicity - exactly 15 months on.
“The siege on Gaza is protected not just by Israeli firepower, but by global inaction. Despite the risks, we believe that direct, civil resistance still matters – that active solidarity can shift the moral compass of the world. That is why Madleen will sail,” FFC said.
‘World cannot stand by’
Volunteers from various countries, including France, Germany, Sweden, Turkey, Brazil, Spain, and the Netherlands, have joined the mission aboard Madleen, demonstrating a commitment to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s mission of providing help to those in need.
“I am aboard Madleen because silence is not neutrality—it is complicity. The Palestinian people in Gaza are being starved and slaughtered, and the world watches," MEP Hassan said in a message from the vessel.
"This ship is not just carrying aid, it is carrying a demand: End the blockade. End the genocide.”
Actor Liam Cunningham asserted his commitment to the mission despite possible consequences because he wants to be able to look his grandchildren in the eye.
“I have to be able to look at my grandkids when they hit their teens and say to me, ‘What did you do during this?’ I do not want to be one of those people who said, ‘I didn’t do anything, ’” he said.
“Your only answer [for not acting now] to your grandkids, or your kids, when they grow up is, ‘I didn’t care’. The world cannot stand by and allow this to continue,” he added.
Activist Thunberg, 22, who is known for challenging world leaders on climate change issues, also stated that the international community cannot remain silent and detached, calling on everyone to recognize their moral responsibility to support the struggle for Palestinian freedom.
“We are seeing a systematic starvation of 2 million people. The world cannot be a silent bystander. Every single one of us has a moral obligation to do everything we can to fight for a free Palestine,” she remarked before the vessel embarked on its mission.
Tan Safi, a member of FFC’s crew and an award-winning video producer, writer, and director, in her message emphasized the need for concerted efforts towards Palestinian self-determination and the cessation of Israeli genocidal war crimes. Safi implored everyone to ensure the safety of their vessel.
“We are parents, grandparents, siblings, kids, partners, funny, annoying, stubborn, cute, passionate humans united by a revolutionary imagination that allows us to see, and believe in, a world without Zionist violence," she stated.
“It is possible. And it will happen. Make damn sure that nothing happens to this boat with the same fervor as you give to fighting for Palestinian self-determination and an end to Israel’s war crimes. No. More.”
Actress Nicole Jenes, a Freedom Flotilla activist, released a video upon Madleen’s arrival in Catania on Friday, urging viewers to focus on the ongoing genocide and blockade of Gaza.
Jenes emphasized that the mission’s purpose extends beyond charity, serving as a non-violent, direct challenge to Israel’s illegal siege and escalating war crimes.
“This is not charity. This is a nonviolent, direct action to challenge Israel’s illegal siege and escalating war crimes. From the river to the sea, amplify the voices of Palestinians demanding their human rights, including the freedom of movement and self-determination. Demand your government safeguard our journey to Gaza, now.”
Zaher Biraw, a Palestinian journalist, chairman of the International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza, and a founding member of the FFC, also said that the “Madleen” embodies solidarity with Gaza and showcases relentless determination to challenge Israel’s blockade through grassroots initiatives.
In his statement, Biraw highlighted that the vessel affirms Palestinians’ inherent right to maritime access and humanitarian aid amid the destructive war imposed by Israeli occupation.
“[Madleen] is an affirmation of the Palestinians’ fundamental right to communicate with the world by sea and their right to establish a humanitarian corridor to bring in aid and relief supplies during the war of extermination waged by the Israeli occupation against Gaza,” he wrote.
[ SOURCE: PRESS TV ]
