ISTANBUL, Feb 26 (Bernama-Sputnik/RIA Novosti) -- A new Freedom and Resilience Flotilla of humanitarian aid for the Palestinians will set sail for the Gaza Strip on April 12, according to the organisers, reported Sputnik/RIA Novosti.
"The Freedom and Resilience Flotilla is due to set sail from Barcelona on April 12," the mission organisers said.
In October, the Israeli navy intercepted ships bringing aid to the enclave and detained the activists for deportation.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said Israel's actions were "an act of piracy," stressing that an attack on peaceful activists was a gross violation of international law.
The new flotilla will include approximately 100 ships and boats with activists from around 150 countries, the organisers estimated.
The flotilla is scheduled to make stops in Italy, Tunisia and several Mediterranean ports.
On Wednesday, Dilek Tekocak, a spokeswoman for Turkish activists, told a press conference in Istanbul that humanitarian conditions in Gaza remained dire despite the ceasefire, during which 477 Palestinians had been killed.
"This is not just a humanitarian aid campaign that arose after existing international mechanisms proved unsuccessful. It is also peaceful civil resistance to an illegal blockade on a global scale," Tekocak said.
The Gaza Health Ministry estimates that more than 72,000 people have been killed in the strip since October 2023, with more than 171,000 others injured.
--BERNAMA-SPUTNIK/RIA NOVOSTI
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