A significant crowd gathered at the port of Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia, on Sunday to receive Greta Thunberg and her flotilla, which is planning to deliver aid to Gaza. Thunberg is accompanied by 350 pro-Palestinian activists on boats carrying supplies intended for Palestinians in Gaza.
Photos from the event show large groups of people surrounding Thunberg as she addressed them. In her speech, she highlighted the ongoing situation in Gaza, stating, “We all know why we are here.” She referred to severe conditions in the area, which some reports and a UN-backed body have indicated involve famine. Israel, however, disputes these claims and attributes the hardship in Gaza to factors associated with Hamas and failures of aid agencies.
The UN’s humanitarian chief has blamed the humanitarian situation in Gaza on what they describe as Israel’s “systematic obstruction” of aid. Notably, Rima Hassan, a French-Palestinian Member of the European Parliament, spoke at the event, emphasizing that the Palestinian cause resonates deeply with people globally, rather than being solely controlled by governments.
The flotilla’s organizers are focused on what they describe as a mission to “break Israel’s illegal siege on Gaza.” Previous efforts to deliver aid have faced challenges; a prior attempt in June was intercepted by Israeli forces. The current flotilla, consisting of around 20 vessels, began its journey from Barcelona on Monday.
Now in Tunisia for several days, the ships plan to gather additional aid and join forces with local activists before continuing to Gaza. Israeli authorities have previously characterized Thunberg’s aid missions as lacking genuine humanitarian impact. Following international pressure, Israel has begun to permit limited aid into Gaza after imposing a near-total blockade earlier this year, citing concerns over aid being seized by Hamas.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gjz0d366eo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss