Activist Greta Thunberg was seen on Friday (May 30) joining the preparations for the next sailing of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) carrying aid to Gaza, after a previous attempt was thwarted by a drone attack weeks earlier.
Thunberg is joined by Games of Thrones actor, Liam Cunningham, and dozens of other volunteers on a second mission on board the ship “Madeleen,” which is due to depart from Catania on Sunday (June 1).
FFC’s earlier mission on May 3 was aborted after the ship "Conscience" was bombed by drones in international waters off Malta, severely damaging the front of the ship.
Its organizers alleged that Israel was to blame.
The Israeli foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the allegations.
Under growing global pressure, Israel ended an 11-week long blockade on Gaza 13 days ago, allowing limited U.N.-led operations to resume.
On Monday (May 26), a controversial new avenue for aid distribution was also launched — the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, backed by the United States and Israel.
The U.N. and international aid groups have refused to work with the GHF because they say it is not neutral and has a distribution model that forces the displacement of Palestinians.