The Freedom Flotilla, organized by the group Free Gaza, is the largest humanitarian journey to the Gaza Strip since Israel imposed its crippling blockade on the territories in June 2007 after Hamas forcibly took control of the region.
Jamal Al-Khodary, head of the Popular Committee Against Siege, said in a statement on Tuesday that several legal people as well as hundreds of media professionals and journalists are traveling with the fleet.
He added that preparations on the Palestinian side have been completed and a hundred Palestinian boats will receive the fleet in the open sea.
The organizers of this journey say they are trying to bring humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. But Israel has urged them to bring their goods to Gaza via a pre-approved border crossing.
News reports on Monday said that the Egyptian authorities announced that the fleet could reach Gaza via its territories.
Israeli media reported that the ships, which are sailing from diverse ports in Ireland, Greece and Turkey and are expected to arrive on Thursday, would be boarded before they could reach Gaza. Any activists on board would be arrested.
"Ships that make their own way to Gaza do not do anything to help the people there," said Yigal Palmor, a spokesman for the Israeli foreign ministry.
He added that Free Gaza is “less interested in bringing help, than with advancing their radical agenda, which plays into the hands of Hamas.”
According to different news reports, the fleet includes nine ships; one financed by Kuwait and carrying the flags of Kuwait and Turkey, a ship financed by Algeria, one financed by Sweden and Greece, while the remaining six vessels will carry the activists.
One of the ships bears the number 8,000, referring to the approximate number of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
The ships also carry more than 10,000 tons of medical supplies, wood, and construction materials, in addition to 100 mobile homes, and 500 power-chairs for the disabled.
A similar but smaller mission to Gaza was blocked by the Israeli navy a year ago. However, five others have made their way to the region in recent years.
