The flotilla includes 146 participants, among them journalists, healthcare professionals, and humanitarian workers. It was launched to protest the 18-year-long land, sea, and air blockade imposed on Gaza by Israel, and to raise global awareness of the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the region.

Conscience Serves as Flagship

The flotilla, which departed from Italy, is currently navigating international waters in the Mediterranean, approximately 400 nautical miles from Gaza. Organizers hope the ships will reach the shores of Gaza within the coming days.

Leading the convoy is the 68-meter-long Conscience vessel, which was damaged in an Israeli attack near Malta on May 2 and has since been repaired. Now serving as the flagship, Conscience carries significant quantities of aid along with international volunteers.

Hunger as a Weapon

As Israel continues its military assault on Gaza, it has also blocked humanitarian aid, using hunger as a weapon of war. In addition to widespread destruction from aerial bombardments, aid organizations report that nearly 500 Palestinians, the majority of them infants and children, have died from starvation due to the blockade and restrictions on food delivery.

The flotilla carries not only food supplies but also critical medical equipment and medicines, aiming to ease the suffering of those in desperate need.

Organizers emphasize that the convoy represents a collective voice of conscience from around the world, and vow to continue their efforts until aid reaches those in need and the blockade is lifted.