An aid flotilla carrying activist Greta Thunberg, which aimed to sail from Spain to the Gaza Strip, has been thwarted by the weather.
Stormy conditions forced the return of the vessels, which had sailed from Barcelona on Sunday, according to a statement by the Global Sumud Flotilla, which Newsweek has contacted for comment by phone and email.
Why It Matters
The renowned activist had intended to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza, where Israel’s stepped-up offensive has raised further fears for the population, which humanitarian groups say face famine.
What To Know
Vessels which were part of the Global Sumud Flotilla set sail from Barcelona on Sunday to bring humanitarian aid, food, water and medicine to Gaza.
Organizers said the maritime convoy of around 20 boats and delegations from 44 countries was to be joined by additional ships from ports in Italy, Greece, and Tunisia as it made its way from the western Mediterranean to the Gaza Strip.
Before the mission, Thunberg had said on Saturday that Israel had been continuously violating international law by either attacking, unlawfully intercepting the boats in international waters, and continuously preventing the humanitarian aid from entering.
During a previous attempt in June, Thunberg was deported when the Israeli military stopped the ship she was traveling on with around a dozen others.
In a statement on Monday, Global Sumud Flotilla said on Instagram that due to unsafe weather conditions, which included 30 knot winds, a sea trial was conducted, and the decision was made for the convoy to return to port for the storm to pass.
This delayed departure was to avoid endangering the smaller boats, the statement said without specifying when another crossing would be restarted.
A report released on August 22 by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said Gaza is experiencing famine, with over half a million people in Gaza City facing catastrophic shortages and over a million more people at risk of starvation and death in the next month.
Mercy Corps Chief Executive Officer, Tjada D’Oyen McKenna, said in a statement that the confirmation of famine was “absolutely horrifying yet not surprising” and was the result of months of deliberate restrictions on aid, the destruction of Gaza’s food, health, and water systems, and relentless bombardment.
What People Are Saying
Global Sumud Flotilla in a statement Monday: “We conducted a sea trial and then returned to port to allow the storm to pass.”
Greta Thunberg told the Associated Press on Saturday: “Israel has been continuously violating international law by either attacking, unlawfully intercepting the boats in international waters, and continuously preventing the humanitarian aid from coming in.”
What Happens Next
As of Monday, the Global Sumud Flotilla had not confirmed when it would make another attempt to depart for Gaza.
The post Greta Thunberg’s Gaza Aid Flotilla Turns Around Because of Bad Weather appeared first on Newsweek.
