Second international flotilla attempts to break Gaza blockade
More than 1,000 people from 100 countries will set sail in the last week of June on a second international flotilla attempting to break Israel’s siege on the Gaza Strip, Turkish “Hurriyet daily news” quotes human-rights activists as announcing.
The announcement of the new flotilla came a day before the one-year anniversary of the date when Israeli commandos raided ships participating in a previous aid mission, killing nine Turkish activists onboard the vessel Mavi Marmara.
The press conference was organized on the ship, which has been anchored for some time in Istanbul’s shipyard in the Kasımpaşa neighborhood.
Some 15 ships will sail toward Gaza in the last week of June, carrying approximately 1,500 activists from about 100 countries. The first flotilla, which set sail in May 2010, contained about 700 activists from 38 countries on six ships. The Mavi Marmara will be among the 15 vessels carrying humanitarian aid, as well as medical, school and construction materials, along with other ships departing from the United States, Canada, Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Ireland.