BRUSSELS, Belgium — The European Union says it doesn’t “encourage” aid flotillas heading to Gaza, as vessels carrying humanitarian aid and pro-Palestinian activists, including Greta Thunberg, sail for the war-ravaged territory.
“We don’t encourage flotillas like this, because basically they can escalate the situation, and they also put their participants at risk,” EU spokeswoman Eva Hrncirova says.
She says the EU believes the “best way… to deliver the humanitarian aid” is via partner organizations working on the ground.
“This is what we try to achieve, to deliver the humanitarian aid in a larger scale, and we keep the channels with Israel open, and we talk to Israeli authorities,” she says.
A Gaza-bound flotilla of around 20 boats left Barcelona last week and is scheduled to reach its destination by mid-September.
It comes after Israel blocked two activist attempts to deliver aid to the devastated Palestinian territory by ship in June and July.
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