Ten activist flotilla ships continued toward the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, according to the Global Sumud Flotilla ship tracker, after most of their vessels were intercepted by the Israeli Navy on Monday.
The Andros, the current vanguard of the fleet, was, as of its last update, 93 nautical miles from Gaza, according to the GSF tracker platform. At its current reported speed, it would reach the Strip at around 9:30 pm.
Around 44 vessels were intercepted west of Cyprus by the Israeli Navy and naval commandos on Monday, with many of the almost 500 activists detained on an Israeli vessel. Among those detained was Irish President Catherine Connolly’s sister, according to the Irish Times.
Flotilla intercepted on its first blockade run attempt
The interception came weeks after the interception of the flotilla on its first blockade run attempt. On April 29, around twenty ships were stopped and the activists were deposited on Greek shores, besides two activist leaders who were detained for questioning until last Sunday.
The activist fleet had departed from Marmaris on Thursday, claiming that they were drawing attention to a naval blockade stifling Gaza and bringing aid. Israeli authorities have claimed that no humanitarian aid was found on the vessels they interdicted, and that sufficient aid was entering Gaza daily.
The flotilla had originally set out from Barcelona on April 15, after their April 12 launch date was disrupted by stormy weather. The flotilla met with additional vessels in Italy, before sailing with 56 vessels on April 26 to attempt their first blockade run of the year.
In tandem with the flotilla, a land convoy set out on Saturday from Zalitan. The thirty vehicles and 200 activists stalled on the outskirts of Sirte, where a June convoy was disbanded after Libyan forces would not let them pass. The convoy said that it had considered the security situation, with indications that forces were again gathering to stop them. Later on Monday, the convoy said that it was continuing on its journey to Egypt.