Ships from the Global Sumud Flotilla set sail for a third time on Thursday from southern Turkey, after earlier attempts to deliver largely ceremonial but meager aid to Gaza were intercepted by Israel.
The flotilla had previously departed from Spain on April 12, but Israeli forces intercepted vessels in the group, taking more than 100 pro-Palestinian activists to Crete and detaining two others in Israel.
Activists on the attention-seeking flotilla departing from the Turkish port of Marmaris said they needed to reach Gaza to provide “much-needed aid” to the enclave at a time when global attention had shifted elsewhere, including to the impact of the Iran war.
"It's very important that what's happening around the world is not allowing us to see Gaza for the situation as it is," said Susan Abdullah, a member of the flotilla's steering committee. "The blockade is still on. The aid is not coming in."
Katy Davidson, an activist from the British delegation on the flotilla, said the group had previously been intercepted between Sicily and Crete. She criticised the response of the British Government, which she said, "did nothing".
Davidson added that even if the flotilla failed to reach Gaza, any interception would still help draw attention to the situation. However, repeated interceptions have also reinforced perceptions that the flotilla’s efforts are increasingly futile.
Turkish activist Seyma Denli Yalvac said limited media coverage would not deter the group.
"Even if no channel reports on us, it doesn't matter. We will continue on our path," Yalvac told Reuters.
Pro-Palestinian activists say Israel and the US, "wrongly conflate," their advocacy for Palestinian rights with support for Hamas militants.
Last October Israel's military halted a previous flotilla assembled by the same organisation, arresting controversial Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and more than 450 participants.
(Writing by Tuvan Gumrukcu, Editing by William Maclean)
