Gaza aid flotilla aims to break Israeli blockade

MADRID, April 12 (Reuters) - A second ‌flotilla carrying humanitarian ​aid to ​Palestinians in Gaza was due to set sail on Sunday from the Spanish port of Barcelona, aiming to try to break the Israeli blockade.

Thirty-nine ‌boats were due to leave the Mediterranean port city, a spokesperson for ⁠the flotilla said, and more vessels also laden with medical aid and other supplies are expected to join ‌along the route towards Palestine ‌https://www.reuters.com/world/israel-hamas/.

Rough seas mean the flotilla will sail to another port then head out to international waters later in the week, Thiago Avila, a member of the flotilla's organising ​committee, told a press conference on Sunday.

The Israeli military halted a previous flotilla nL5N3VP178 assembled by the same organisation last October as the boats attempted to reach blockaded ⁠Gaza, arresting Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and more than 450 other participants.

MISSION TO 'OPEN HUMANITARIAN CORRIDOR'

Israel, which controls all access to ​the Gaza Strip, denieswithholding supplies for its more than 2 million residents. Yet Palestinians and international aid bodies say supplies reaching the territory ​are still insufficient, despite a ceasefire reached in ‌October which included guarantees of increased aid.

Liam Cunningham, an actor who starred in the Game of Thrones television series who is supporting the ⁠flotilla but not taking part, told Reuters: "Every kilogram of aid that is on these ships is a failure because all these people on these ships giving up their time to help their fellow ⁠human beings are doing what their governments are legally obliged to do."

The World Health Organization has said ​that even during armed conflicts, states are obligated under international humanitarian law to ensure that people are able to reach medical care in safety.

“This is a mission that aims to open a humanitarian corridor ‌so the aid delivery organisations can arrive,” Saif Abukeshak, a Palestinian activist and member of the flotilla’s organising committee, told Reuters.

Swiss and ‌Spanish activists on last year's flotilla said they were subjected to inhumane conditions during their detention ⁠by Israeli forces - an allegation that ‌was rejected by an Israeli ​foreign ministry spokesperson.

(Reporting by Graham Keeley; Additional reporting by Silvio Castellanos, Horaci Garcia, Nacho Doce, Albert Gea, Michele Spatari and Amy McConaghy; Editing by ‌David Holmes )

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