Food. Medication. Shelter. Freedom of movement. Water. Air.
Six basics for the survival of any human being and yet, for the past 23 months, we have watched with horror as apartheid Israel, backed by some of the most powerful governments in the world, has robbed the people of Gaza of these basic necessities for survival.
Together with many in the world, we have marched, spoken up, boycotted – reflecting the sentiments of the global majority. But this has not been enough to pressure world governments to stop Israel’s siege on Gaza and ensure that a genocide, occurring in real time, is put to an end.
While we are unable to deliver all six of the basics listed above, we hope to break the blockade and deliver food, medication and water to a besieged and starving population. This is the mission of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF).
The GSF is the largest citizen-led humanitarian flotilla mission to Gaza ever, combining previous humanitarian missions to Gaza over land, sea and air. It builds on decades of Palestinian resistance and international solidarity. It includes activists, humanitarians, doctors, artists, clergy and lawyers – all of whom have come together to take direct action to break the siege.
The South African delegation includes 10 people coming from all over the country and from different backgrounds: Christians, Muslims, Jews, agnostics and atheists united in a common goal of bringing aid to Gaza.
Our efforts are closely aligned with the provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on January 26, 2024, and its subsequent orders from March 28 and May 24, 2024, as part of the case of South Africa vs Israel. In the provisional ruling, the ICJ specifically required Israel to take all measures within its power to enable the provision of urgently needed humanitarian assistance in Gaza.
Yet, as South Africa has consistently highlighted in its advocacy before the court and in its leadership role as co-chair and founding member of The Hague Group, Israel has to date failed to comply with these orders. The worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza makes it clear that we cannot remain silent in the face of such impunity.
That is why people of conscience started organising grassroots-run flotillas in an attempt to break the illegal Israeli siege on Gaza.
On June 9, Israeli forces intercepted the Madleen vessel carrying humanitarian aid in international waters. A little more than a month later, on July 25, the Israeli occupation…