What to know about the Australians aboard vessels trying to break Gaza blockade

The mission represents Israel’s 18 -year -old land and sea blockade and represents the biggest civilian leader maritime effort to date. The help of the Egyptian army In the south.

The drums and cheers of the crowd shaking the Palestinian flag were shared after Rafiq’s August 31 Instagram story, after boarding Gaza in Barcelona.

Rafiq, wearing a black and white keffiyeh, said to the camera, “Very hot, very hot, there’s a thousand people who just came out to support the net.” “Solidarity seems like this, it’s crazy.”

Speaking with this Masthead on Wednesday, Rafiq said that italy felt optimistic about the expectations of success, despite Italy’s support for the international mission on the same day. Although Italian ships have previously accompanied the fleets at various stages of the journey, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called on the fleet to stop and made clear that sea support would not continue.

Orum I don’t feel vulnerable, Raf Rafiq said. “Like the Australian government, the Italian government and many governments around the word, the criminal partner in this genocide, so I did not expect a navy ship to start.”

Hobart Scientist Julia Henry In Huga with Polish flag. He has four children between the ages of three and 19, and he said at the beginning of September: “Even though I am not an activist, I have always been someone who will stand against a bullying and intervene in something I think is not true. I am a protector. I have been taught and teach my children, that’s right thing.

Northern Rivers filmmaker and climate activist Juliet LamontManaging the 2009 documentary Snowmanand two daughters, Isla Lamont And Luca Lamont. Juliet Lamont Act as the first spouse On board, Wahoo is also carrying Queensander Hamish Paterson.

On Thursday, Paterson confirmed that Wahoo was still sailing and proceeding without intervening. He wrote to Instagram as follows: “They are stuck so regularly with our internet and fleet. [it] It is hard to remove these updates from there. “

Australians Daniel Coward And SURYA MCEWAN With the global Sumud Flotilla, they take another attempt to break the blockade. In April 2024, both coward and MCEWAN was prepared to leave Türkiye for the Gaza Strip with a Freedom Fleet coalition, but after removing the Gine-Bissau flag from two ships, the humanitarian aid mission was stopped.

Mcewen was also part of a Flashilla coalition mission, which was canceled in May 2025 after being attacked by drones in international waters on the coast of Malta. Mcewen on September 24 Instagram Boat, Luna Bark– He was shot with explosives.

“The boat is damaged, but except for some hearing loss, everyone on the ship is good and determined to continue,” he wrote.

The same night, Rafiq’s ship was shot by Specter de Drone, he said Instagram video. No injury or loss was reported. Israel did not comment on whether he was responsible for the alleged attacks last week, but said that the global Sumud fleet would not allow Gaza to reach Gaza and that he associated the fleet with Hamas.

Israeli Foreign Ministry on September 30 He published the “Official Hamas Documents in the Gaza Strip” in X To claim that Hamas has proved that the global Sumud fleet is “financing and execution”. Fleet spokesman Maria Elena Delia rejected the allegations and described them as “propaganda” in a statement to the news agency ANSA.

Born in New Zealand, Melbourne -based GP Bianca Webb-PullmanSailing with Flotilla labeled the allegations that Israel was associated with Hamas as aggressive.

“I can tell you that this is a human movement,” Webb-Pullman said in a video shared from the sea Instagram On September 24th.

“As a health worker to ensure that this accusation is made, it is very uncomfortable for me because we have many in this fleet as health workers; ridiculous… This accusation is wrong and we saw that Israel is used against health workers in Gaza.”

Do Hollywood actors sail with the fleet?

Part of the crowd in Barcelona was the Irish actor Liam CunninghamBest known for playing Davos Seaworth game of Thrones.

“You are here and the realization of the fleet is an indication of the failure of the world’s failure to maintain international law and humanitarian law,” he said. “A shameful, embarrassing period in the history of our world.”

Cunningham is one of the tens of thousands of people registered to the global Sumud Flotilla, including the support of the movement from around the world to financially or by promotion instead of sailing.

American actress Susan Sarandon He also expressed his support to the netLike a Swedish actor GUSTAF SKARSGårdStellan Skarsgård’s son and Alexander Skarsgård and Bill Skarsgård’s brother. Cunningham does not sail with Sarandon and Skarsgård fleet.

How did we come here?

On August 31, 300 people boarded at least 20 ships in Barcelona, ​​Spain and set sail on the occupied Palestinian territory. More ships participated in the sea convoy from Tunisia and Catania on September 7, but on September 27, the family boat stopped his journey after being stranded from Crete due to “disaster technical failure”.

It is estimated that the ship between 50 and 70 from 44 countries is trying to give food, water and medicine to Gaza. Integrated Food Safety Classification (IPC) said that Gaza Strip, the largest city of Gaza Strip in August, was kept by famine. Two weeks later, the United Nations invaded Palestinian Region Investigation Commission issued a report that confirms that Israel was responsible for the genocide in Gaza.

Last week, Italy and Spain, whose fleets to accept an alternative distribution of assistance from the Jerusalem Latin Patriarchate in Cyprus, deployed sea ships to watch the alleged fleets claimed to have claimed the drone attacks. Italy’s frigate will stop when the fleet of 150 nautical miles (278 kilometers) arrives in Gaza. Greece’s coast guard watched the fleets while sailing in the rescue area and Reuters Reports Türkiye follow the fleets with drones.

This global Sumud Flotilla is the fourth initiative to break the sea blockade against Gaza this year and Thunberg and Brazilian activist Thiago AvilaSecond trial. In June, when Madleen of British Bayramlı Madleen was captured about 100 nautical miles (about 185 kilometers) from Gaza in international waters, Israeli forces were detained by 10 people.

Australian activists in July Tania “Tan” Safi And Robert Martin After the Israeli military personnel seized the elas on the shores of Gaza, he was detained and deported to Australia.

Before the Global Sumud Filo, the largest civilian leading maritime mission against Israel’s Gaza blockade was the 2010 Gaza Freedom Fleet. After the Fleet raided the Fleet in the international waters of the Mediterranean, nine activists were killed and several activists were injured.

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