Gaza-bound flotilla forced to turn back due to weather conditions
Thunberg added: “It is not antisemitic to say that people should not be bombed, that people should not have to live under occupation.”
A flotilla that departed Barcelona on Sunday with the stated goal of breaking Israel’s blockade of Gaza was forced to turn back after encountering poor weather conditions, Spanish media reported.
The convoy, named Sumud, Arabic for “perseverance,” consisted of vessels said to be carrying humanitarian supplies.
The ships set sail around 4 p.m. local time but returned to port after several hours at sea in the Mediterranean.
Among the participants was Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who last June joined a similar mission that ended when the Israeli navy intercepted the flotilla.
Thunberg was detained and later deported to Sweden via Paris on an El Al flight paid for by Israel.
Speaking to Sky News before the latest attempt, Thunberg said the objective was “to provide symbolic aid, but also to open a humanitarian corridor.”
Asked about her stance toward Hamas, she responded: “I do not support the killing of civilians, but if you put this into perspective and look at the hundreds of thousands of deaths in Gaza, there are hundreds of thousands of people deprived of human dignity and justice by Israel."
Addressing criticism that her activism is antisemitic, Thunberg added: “It is not antisemitic to say that people should not be bombed, that people should not have to live under occupation.”