Libyan flotilla includes former Prime Minister Omar al-Hassi along with group of foreign activists
Libyan activists plan to set sail to join a Gaza-bound flotilla seeking to break an Israeli siege on the Palestinian enclave, an official told Anadolu on Friday.
“The Omar al-Mukhtar Martyr Flotilla will depart from Libya with Libyan and foreign activists onboard,” said former Prime Minister Omar al-Hassi.
He called on “all men and women of peaceful orientation to stand with this flotilla.”
Al-Hassi explained that the fleet is planning to sail to the Gaza Strip and includes more than 50 vessels of varying sizes.
“Our primary goal is to break the blockade, because this siege has caused deadly famine for our people in Gaza,” he said.
Al-Hassi said the flotilla is loaded with relief supplies, including food, medicine, water and plenty of winter clothing and blankets.
“Palestine does not need sympathy or speeches. It needs international support and solidarity from global humanitarian and rights figures, particularly those peace-loving people of resistance,” he said. “Our goal is to restore the rights of our people in Palestine and Gaza, and to end starvation, killing, and ethnic cleansing to which they are being subjected.”
On Thursday, the Global Sumud Flotilla said the grandson of late South African leader Nelson Mandela will join the Gaza-bound flotilla to break the Israeli siege, along with 200 activists, politicians and artists from 44 countries. The fleet is set to sail Sunday from Tunisia.
The Israeli army has launched a brutal military offensive on Gaza, killing more than 64,300 Palestinians. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
