A humanitarian ship carrying 12 international activists, including Swedish climate advocate Greta Thunberg, is sailing off Egypt’s northern coast in a renewed effort to break Israel’s longstanding blockade on Gaza. The vessel, named Madleen, is part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a grassroots campaign challenging the blockade and calling attention to what rights groups have described as a deepening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. The ship departed from Sicily last week on Sunday, 1 June, loaded with essential aid and medical supplies. Currently sailing through Egyptian territorial waters, the activists on board say their mission is peaceful,and symbolic. Yasemin Acar, a human rights activist from Germany aboard the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s ship, Madleen, en route to Gaza, said they’ve been subjected to “psychological warfare” by drones “manufactured in Israel and operated by Greek authorities”. The Madleen is sailing under a UK flag and is expected to approach Gaza’s maritime zone, which remains under Israeli control. The flotilla’s progress has been closely monitored, with the crew reporting surveillance by multiple drones, some believed to be operated by the EU border agency Frontex. While no interception has occurred so far, the ship’s organisers…
