Greece: Two ships set sail Sunday evening from the Greek island of Syros to join the Global Sumud Flotilla, an international mission aiming to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid, AFP journalists saw. Chanting Free Palestine, around 500 people gathered at the port of Ermopoulis to see off the two Greece-flagged boats, the Oxygen and Ilektra, carrying goods for famine-hit Gaza along with five and eight people on board respectively.
According to Nam News Network, Kostas Fourikos, a 39-year-old crew member, stated, "This is the way to show Israel that it shouldn't have the right to impose starvation. And of course to send the message of solidarity to the Palestinians, who suffer so much." In August, as a result of the conflict, the United Nations officially declared famine in and around Gaza City, home to around a million people. Israel denies the existence of famine in the coastal territory.
Backed by high-profile participants including environmental activist Greta Thunberg, the pro-Palestinian Global Sumud flotilla describes itself as an independent group not linked to any government or political party. Sumud is an Arabic word for resilience. Its journey to the Gaza Strip has been dogged by at least two suspected drone attacks while docked off the coast of Tunisia, sparking concern for the safety of the Greek ships.
Crew member Savvantoglou downplayed such concerns. "I think we are all worried, but we're also all very prepared for as much as we can be prepared for," she said. "What we are facing all these days with the bureaucracy or even with the drone attacks in Tunisia is nothing in comparison to just one minute of being alive in Gaza."
