An activist flotilla was set to leave Greek waters and head towards Gaza on Friday, organisers said, defying warnings from Israel that it would use any means to block the boats' access to the war-torn enclave.
The “Global Sumud Flotilla” is using about 50 civilian boats to try to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza, an initiative Israel strongly opposes.
Many activist influencers, including controversial Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, are on board.
Its passage across the Mediterranean has raised international tensions, especially after it said it was “attacked by drones” this week. No one was hurt, but Italy and Spain have dispatched naval ships to provide assistance to their and other European citizens on the flotilla.
Greece said it would guarantee the safe sailing of the flotilla off Greece, but Friday's launch will take the flotilla back into international waters in the eastern Mediterranean. Organisers said the boats aim to arrive early next week.
Israel, which has imposed a naval blockade on Gaza, said the flotilla will not pass and that the project will only assist Hamas.
The flotilla has blamed Israel for the drone attack, an allegation that has remained unverified.
Israel's foreign ministry did not respond directly to the accusation, but invited the flotilla to drop humanitarian aid for Israel to take to Gaza, or face consequences.
The exact timing of the departure from Greece is unclear. Organisers said on Friday that one of its lead boats had suffered a mechanical failure but that it was still preparing to depart.
"We are not just delivering humanitarian aid. We are trying to deliver hope and solidarity, to send a strong message that the world stands with Palestine," Thunberg said from the deck of a boat off the Greek island of Crete on Thursday. Critics say the flotilla’s efforts are largely symbolic and unlikely to achieve meaningful humanitarian results.
Italy had proposed a compromise whereby aid supplies could be dropped off in Cyprus and handed over to the Catholic Church's Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which would then distribute it in Gaza.
Israel said it backed the idea but the flotilla rejected it.
Italy's foreign ministry has sent a message to Italian members of the flotilla warning them against continuing with the mission, and offering help with repatriation if they choose to disembark in Greece.
It said the navy ship it has deployed would intervene only for sea rescue or humanitarian operations, and would "under no circumstances" engage in defensive or offensive military maneuvers against anyone.
"Whoever (continues with the mission) takes on all risks and is personally responsible for them," the ministry told activists.
Israel launched its nearly two-year-old war in Gaza in response to the October 7, 2023, attacks on the country by Hamas militants which killed some 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
(Reporting by Stefanos Rapanis and Makis Melissourgakis; additional reporting by Alvise Armellini in Rome; Writing by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Edward McAllister and Aidan Lewis)