Eighteen Italian boats carrying aid for Gaza left the Sicilian port of Augusta on Saturday afternoon. They are part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, the largest independent initiative aiming to deliver humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza.
Four centre-left opposition politicians joined the voyage: MEP Benedetta Scuderi of the Green-Left Alliance, MP Arturo Scotto and MEP Annalisa Corrado of the Partito Democratico (PD), and senator Marco Croatti of the Movimento 5 Stelle.
The departure, originally scheduled for Thursday, was delayed twice due to bad weather. The delays allowed time for other flotilla boats arriving from Barcelona to reach Tunisia. The Italian vessels will now meet up in the Mediterranean with additional boats departing from Tunis.
Among those on board the Tunisian flotilla is Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.
The combined fleet will include about 50 boats and around 600 people. Together, they will attempt to deliver aid to Gaza despite an Israeli naval blockade. The Italian vessels are transporting food collected in Genoa in recent days. Organisers, Music for Peace, said the total reached nearly 500 tons.
Tensions rose last week after two flotilla boats anchored in Tunisian waters were struck by suspected drone attacks launched from the Tunisian coast. The incidents sparked protests in Italy.
The Italian government says it prefers aid efforts to be channelled through existing humanitarian structures. However, it confirmed full consular support for Italians participating in the flotilla.
The Global Sumud Flotilla website is providing live tracking of the boats’ journey.
