Freedom Flotilla Sails to Gaza to Break Israel's Blockade and Engineered Famine

Freedom Flotilla's Mission to Gaza

• 🚢 The Freedom Flotilla Coalition is sailing a ship named Handala to Gaza to challenge Israel's blockade, which is described as illegal under international law and part of a genocide.
• humanitarian aid is desperately needed, with nearly every child in Gaza at risk of starvation.
• 💡 The mission aims to deliver lifesaving humanitarian aid and a direct political message: the blockade must end.

Sabotage Attempts and Journey

• ⚠️ Before departing from Italy, the Handala experienced two suspected sabotage incidents: a rope wound around the propeller and sulfuric acid delivered instead of water, causing burns.
• 🚀 Despite these attempts to delay or stop the mission, the ship has safely left port and is currently about 2 days from reaching Gaza.
• 💔 The current mission follows a previous attempt where the ship Medaline was raided and seized by Israeli forces in international waters.

Historical Context and Violence

• 🕯️ The Freedom Flotilla has a long history of attempting to break the Gaza siege, with past missions facing significant violence.
• 💥 In a 2010 mission, 10 activists were killed by Israeli forces, and in another instance, a ship was bombed before departure.
• 🚨 The crew anticipates the possibility of being attacked by armed forces, similar to past incidents.

Call to Action and US Citizens Aboard

• 🇺🇸 Seven out of the 21 crew members are U.S. citizens, and a plea has been made to the U.S. government and media to stop enabling Israel's actions.
• ⚖️ The activists emphasize they are unarmed civilians sailing in accordance with international law, and an attack on them would be an attack on American citizens.
• 📣 There is a disconnect between public opinion, which opposes funding the conflict, and the U.S. government's continued support for Israel.

The Meaning of Handala and Engineered Famine

• 🧒 The vessel is named Handala, after a 10-year-old Palestinian child cartoon character, symbolizing the children of Gaza.
• 🧸 The boat is filled with donations for children, including food, baby formula, diapers, and stuffed animals, as a message of solidarity.
• 💔 The situation in Gaza is described as a deliberately created humanitarian catastrophe and an engineered famine, with Israel turning Gaza into an extermination camp.