Anadolu reported that an international aid fleet was approaching the Gaza Strip to break Israeli blockade in the Palestinian enclave, according to organizers.
“We are 570 km (307.7 nautical miles) from reaching Gaza,” the International Commission to Break the Siege of Gaza said in X.
Tony La Piccirella, an Italian activist at global Sumud Flotilla, said in a video statement that on Tuesday, Madleen and Handala Aid Ships were reached when they were intercepted by Israeli navy in previous attempts to lift the siege of Israel and provide humanitarian aid.
On July 26, the Israeli Navy approached the coast of Gaza and escorted it to Ashdod Port, intercepting the handler aid ship. The ship reached about 70 nautical miles from Gaza, exceeding the distance covered by Madreen, reaching 110 miles before halting.
A group of activists joined the Mediterranean global Sumud Flotilla on Monday, with two more boats participating from the Greek Cypriot regime and Türkiye. The fleet’s largest ship set sail on 100 ships on Tuesday, activists said.
La Piccirella said that in addition to Italian and Spanish naval vessels protecting the fleet, three more countries are considering sending more military vessels without revealing the names of these countries.
“So it’s getting bigger. And it’s not about our global smooth fleet. It’s like a movement with hundreds of people in the ocean and millions in the land, and it won’t be stopped until the siege breaks,” he said.
The global SUMUD Flotilla, which consists of about 50 ships, broke Israeli blockade in Gaza earlier this month, sending humanitarian aid, particularly medical supplies, to war-torn enclaves.
Since March 2, Israel has completely closed Gaza intersections, blocked food and aid convoys, deepening the situation of hunger in the enclave.
Israeli forces have killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023.