Israel attacks another group of civilian ships bound for Gaza
Israeli forces have once again targeted civilian vessels sailing to Gaza, aiming to break the blockade and deliver medical supplies.
By Ana Vračar for the People's Dispatch
In a new act of state terrorism, Israel has assaulted vessels from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and the Thousand Madleens to Gaza initiative in international waters, abducting more than 140 crew members. The attack comes barely a week after Israeli armed forces targeted the Global Sumud Flotilla, another civilian fleet sailing to break the illegal blockade of Gaza and deliver essential supplies.
“Unarmed crew aboard, including doctors, journalists, and elected officials, have been abducted, as well as the vital aid worth over USD 110,000 in medicines, respiratory equipment, and nutritional supplies that were destined for Gaza’s starving hospitals,” the Freedom Flotilla Coalition stated soon after the event.
The latest mission to open a humanitarian corridor to Gaza by sea was specific considering that most of its crew consisted of health and media workers, two groups continuously targeted by Israeli forces during the genocide in Gaza. Nurse Stefano Argerio, speaking shortly before his abduction, emphasized the peaceful and civilian character of the initiative. “It’s a humanitarian, medical mission,” he told Public Services International (PSI), stressing that obstructing it would only add to Israel’s long list of crimes.
Keep your eyes on Gaza, says Belgian doctor aboard Conscience
Aboard the “Conscience”, the fleet’s largest vessel, was Belgian physician Hanne Bosselaers of Medics for the People (MPLP-GVHV), who is also active in the People’s Health Movement (PHM). Having participated in preparations for the Global Sumud Flotilla, she joined this mission to help keep global attention on Gaza. “The Israeli armed forces want to totally annihilate it [Gaza], and they’re accelerating the process,” Bosselaers told the Workers’ Party of Belgium (PTB–PVDA). “Even if our media no longer shows it, we absolutely must keep our eyes on it. Humanity must heed the call of the Palestinians to stop the genocide.”
Bosselaers, who previously volunteered in Gaza, established contact with staff from the Awda Association while en route. “[They] told us live about how they experience genocide in their hospitals and health centers,” she said. “They have great confidence in our arrival and it gives them hope and courage to see that caregivers around the world are mobilizing, that they are not forgotten.”
Read more: Palestinian health workers are fighting for humanity
Members of the Freedom Flotilla and Thousand Madleens to Gaza initiatives anticipated the risk of Israeli attacks, especially after the assault on the Global Sumud Flotilla. Yet, instead of retreating, they called for even stronger mobilization from the medical community in support of Gaza’s health workers and the flotillas’ missions. “We know that what can happen to us is still only a fraction of what Palestinians have endured every day for 77 years,” Bosselaers said. “We hope that seeing our rights violated as white Europeans might amplify the message and draw attention to the Palestinians.”
Pharmacist Aziz Rhali among GSF crew still held by Israel
As of the morning of October 8, six members of the Global Sumud Flotilla remain imprisoned in Israel: Abdeladim Bendraoui and Aziz Rhali from Morocco; Christoforos Schuff O’Moore, Eline Norli, and Samuel Rostol from Norway; and Reyes Rigo Cervilla from Spain.
Before departure, Rhali, a pharmacist and long-time human rights defender, highlighted the importance of global solidarity among health professionals. “We must also emphasize the role of Gaza’s healthcare workers, who remain on the front line of resistance,” he said. “Despite everything, they stay, they work, they do their best to help the population … They need us, and we need them. Just as lawyers are pursuing justice through the courts – the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court – our role, as health workers, is to stand with our Palestinian colleagues. We can do that directly, by being on the ground with them.”
Read more: Pharmacist on board the Global Sumud Flotilla: “Health workers’ solidarity with Palestine must be practiced on the ground”
PHM Global Coordinator Román Vega told People’s Health Dispatch that Rhali had been struggling for months to reach Gaza and support his colleagues and patients. Instead of being allowed to provide essential care, “he was abducted by the genocidal Israeli regime,” Vega said. “We are deeply concerned for his safety, especially after hearing of the abuse suffered by members of the flotilla who have returned home. We are calling for his immediate release and for the protection of his life and rights.”
People’s Health Dispatch is a fortnightly bulletin published by the People’s Health Movement and Peoples Dispatch. For more articles and to subscribe to People’s Health Dispatch, click here.