Activist Flotilla Departs Turkey for Gaza Weeks After Previous Interception

Dozens of boats carrying activists and aid for Palestinians began sailing from Turkey’s Mediterranean coast on Thursday in the latest attempt to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza. More than 50 vessels were scheduled to depart from the port in Marmaris in what organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla described as the final leg of their journey to Gaza’s shores.

The departure comes just weeks after Israeli forces intercepted more than 20 boats from a previous flotilla near the southern Greek island of Crete on April 30. Israeli officials said they had to act early because of the high number of boats involved.

The forces initially held about 175 activists. Two of the activists were taken back to Israel where they were interrogated and detained for several days before being deported on Sunday. The activists accused Israel of torture. Brazil and Spain condemned Israel for what they called the "kidnapping" of their citizens.

Organizers say the latest effort involves a regrouped fleet following the interception, joined by additional boats. Nearly 500 activists from 45 countries are taking part. They hope to draw renewed attention to the conditions of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The Gaza Health Ministry said a total of 72,744 Palestinians have been killed since the war in Gaza began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. That attack killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. The ministry, part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts.

A fragile 6-month-old ceasefire in Gaza has halted the most intense fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas-led militants. Around 2 million Gaza residents are still living in ruins with shortages of food and medicine. Only limited aid is entering through a single, Israeli-controlled border post.

Egypt have imposed varying degrees of a blockade on Gaza since the militant group Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007. Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent Hamas from importing arms. Critics say it amounts to collective punishment of Gaza’s population.

Last year, Israeli authorities blocked a similar attempt involving about 50 vessels and some 500 activists. Israel arrested, detained and later deported the participants, who claimed Israeli authorities abused them. Israeli authorities denied the accusations.

Previous efforts to breach the blockade have also failed. In 2010, Israeli commandos raided the Turkish boat Mavi Marmara, which had been participating in an aid flotilla attempting to reach Gaza. Nine Turkish citizens and one Turkish-American on board were killed.

The last time an activist boat succeeded in reaching the strip was in 2008.