Gaza-bound flotilla resumes journey from Crete toward Gaza

After two days anchored near Crete, the 40-vessel flotilla set sail again with Italian and Spanish warships nearby to monitor and support its passage.

The Gaza-bound flotilla of around forty vessels resumed its journey after two days of stopping near a small island south of the Greek island of Crete. The flotilla had been waiting for two days for naval ships to arrive.

Italy and Spain had said they would send naval ships to monitor the flotilla or provide aid in case of more attacks on the ships. The Global Sumud Flotilla has been sailing for a month since leaving Barcelona in Spain on September 1. It spent a week in Tunisia, several days off of Sicily and two days anchored south of Crete.

One Italian naval ship appeared to arrive near the flotilla on Thursday afternoon. It was not clear if more had appeared on Friday. The ships had been dispatched after the flotilla claimed it was attacked on Tuesday evening while it was sailing around 65 kilometers (40 miles) south of Crete.

After the attack, the flotilla moved close to the coast of Crete, apparently hoping for protection in Greek waters. The flotilla also joined several sailboats that had come from Greece. This now means the flotilla consists of roughly 20 vessels from Spain, 20 from Italy and up to six from Greece. However, the flotilla has also had to leave several ships behind.

The large pleasure craft called Family was left at anchor off the Cretan island of Koufonisia. It is 23 meters long and had a large crew aboard. It was one of the largest ships in the flotilla, because most of the boats are sailboats.

The Family vessel apparently had some engine trouble. This same vessel had allegedly been struck by a drone while at anchor off of the Tunisian town of Sidi Bou Said in mid-September. It is unclear if the vessel is damaged.

The crew has apparently been transferred to other vessels, according to reports on social media. The flotilla was around 9 nautical miles off of Koufonisia sailing a southeasterly course on Saturday evening. This means they are leaving Greek national waters. A larger ship called Life Support has also come to assist the flotilla. It is run by the NGO Emergency and can provide aid. It is a 52 meter ship built in 2002.

The flotilla now consists of around 40 vessels, including the large old sailboat…