SYROS, Greece — A Greek sailing vessel departed Sunday from the island of Syros to join the Global Sumud Flotilla, an international convoy seeking to break Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip and deliver humanitarian aid.
The boat, named Oxygono (“Oxygen”), carries Greek activists of various ages and professions. They join roughly 1,000 participants from more than 40 countries aboard 60 ships sailing through Mediterranean waters toward Gaza, organizers said.
Vassilis Rogas, a journalist with the Greek newspaper Epochi and member of the mission, said the effort aims to raise awareness of Palestinian suffering and push for an end to the conflict that began nearly two years ago.
The first vessels in the flotilla departed from Barcelona on Aug. 31, with additional boats joining from Tunisia, Libya and Italy.
Similar attempts in the past have been blocked. In June, Israeli forces intercepted a vessel carrying activists attempting to breach the blockade.