Gaza-bound flotilla sets sail from Tunisia after repeated delays

A flotilla bound for Gaza carrying pro-Palestinian activists has set sail from Tunisia after repeated delays, with plans to challenge Israel’s blockade on the Palestinian territory.

“We are also trying to send a message to the people of Gaza that the world has not forgotten about you,” Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg says before boarding in the northern port of Bizerte.

“When our governments are failing to step up then we have no choice but to take matters into our own hands,” she tells AFP.

Around 20 boats that had sailed from Barcelona converged in Bizerte, with the last vessels leaving at dawn, an AFP journalist reports. The departure had been repeatedly postponed due to security concerns, delays in preparing some of the boats and weather conditions.

Yasemin Acar, who helps coordinate the flotilla from the Maghreb, posts images on Instagram of boats also departing in the early hours.

“The blockade of Gaza must end,” and “We are leaving for solidarity, dignity and justice,” a caption reads.

The vessels, which are also carrying symbolic packages of humanitarian aid, moved to Bizerte, after a turbulent stay in Sidi Bou Said near Tunis that saw two vessels catch fire, in what activists claimed was a drone attack.

European Parliament member Rima Hassan, who like Thunberg was detained aboard the Madleen sailboat during a previous attempt to reach Gaza in June, says she fears further attacks.

“We are preparing for different scenarios,” she says, noting the most prominent figures had been split between the two largest coordinating boats “to balance things out and avoid concentrating all the visible personalities on a single vessel.”