AN international naval convoy looking to deliver much needed aid to Gaza has been stalled due to what they claim are “underhanded” tactics from Israel.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which as The National previously reported is joined on its journey to Gaza by Scots grandmother Margaret Pacetta, is docked in Istanbul and was due to sail on Friday.
The coalition, which is being led by the Spanish branch of the organisation Rumbo a Gaza, said it was “ready to sail” – but had been held up after pressure from Israel.
A statement said: “All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the trip to Gaza.
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“However, today we received word of an administrative roadblock initiated by Israel in an attempt to prevent our departure.
“Israel is pressuring the Republic of Guinea Bissau to withdraw its flag from our lead ship – Akdeniz [a word which refers to the Mediterranean sea in Turkish].
“This triggered a request for an additional inspection, this one by the flag state, that delays our April 26 planned departure.”
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition went on: “This is another example of Israel obstructing the delivery of life-saving aid to the people in Gaza who face a deliberately created famine.
“How many more children will die of malnutrition and dehydration because of this delay and an ongoing siege which must be broken?”
On April 17, the commissioner-general of the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) said that life-saving aid deliveries are being blocked by Israel as part of an "insidious campaign".
Philippe Lazzarini told the UN Security Council in New York that 178 UNRWA workers have been killed and 160 premises destroyed or damaged, adding: “This outrage is occurring despite consecutive orders by the International Court of Justice to increase the flow of aid into Gaza.”
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition also accused Israel of looking to stall aid from getting to Palestinians, saying it was “not the first time that Israel has used these kinds of tactics to stop our ships from sailing”.
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They went on: “We have overcome them before and are diligently working to overcome this latest attempt. Our vessels have already passed all required inspections and we are confident that the Akdeniz will pass this inspection provided there is no political interference.
“We expect this to be no more than a few days’ delay. Israel will not break our resolve to reach the people of Gaza.”
The Israeli Embassy was approached for comment but did not respond.
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