UN experts urge Israel to allow Freedom Flotilla’s ships to safely reach Gaza

Experts from the United Nations have called on Israel to adhere to international law and allow ships of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) to reach the besieged Gaza Strip, which is in urgent need of humanitarian aid.

In a statement on Friday, UN experts demanded a safe passage for the FFC, an international humanitarian organization involved in the relief effort, whose flotilla of ships, carrying thousands of tons of food, drinking water, and medical aid, are “scheduled for imminent departure” from Turkey.

The FFC “is a civilian peaceful initiative whose ships departing Turkey will be carrying 5,500 tons of humanitarian aid and hundreds of international humanitarian observers to the besieged Gaza Strip. Comprising a diverse coalition of human rights activists, including lawyers, doctors, nurses, journalists, parliamentarians and politicians, the convoy aims to deliver life-saving aid directly to the besieged people of Gaza, legitimately challenging Israel’s control over the entry of humanitarian assistance,” the statement read.

The experts also stressed that the FFC “has the right of free passage in international waters and Israel must not interfere with its freedom of navigation, long recognized under international law,” emphasizing that Tel Aviv “must adhere to international law, including recent orders from the International Court of Justice to ensure unimpeded access for humanitarian aid.”

No departure date has yet been set as organizers said they are now waiting for permission to sail from Turkish authorities, adding that they have notified the Turkish government, the United Nations and other international institutions about the mission earlier.

However, the UN experts said that “the convoy is scheduled for imminent departure.”

They also held the Israeli regime fully responsible for famine threatening the lives of Palestinians in the war-torn Gaza, which has been subjected to Israel’s “genocidal violence” and “starvation campaign” since October 7.

They condemned Israeli authorities for “restricting humanitarian aid, intentionally bombarding humanitarian convoys, and targeting both aid workers and civilians seeking aid.”

New Freedom Flotilla to set sail for Gaza in defiance of Israel's naval blockade

A flotilla of ships bound for the Gaza Strip is expected to depart from Turkey in the coming days in an attempt to breach Israel

Activists from 12 national human rights groups from various countries including Germany, Malaysia, Palestine, Norway, Argentina, Spain, Canada, and South Africa, accompanied by journalists, will reportedly participate in the effort.

In 2010, a similar mission with ships carrying more than 600 activists from more than 30 countries, gained worldwide attention after an Israeli raid on a flotilla that included a Turkish ship, the Mavi Marmara, killed 10 people and sparked a diplomatic crisis between Turkey and Israel.

Israel has blocked water, food, and electricity to Gaza, plunging the coastal strip into a humanitarian crisis and is using starvation as a weapon of war against the people of Gaza.

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