The ships of the "largest ever" flotilla to Gaza – dubbed "Sumud" – continue sailing toward Gaza's shores, aiming to "break the Israeli blockade," with more than 40 vessels having passed Malta and six additional ships waiting in Greece. But the major drama unfolded among flotilla members themselves – climate activist Greta Thunberg was removed from the executive committee and forced to switch ships, while the media advisor left the flotilla entirely.
The Italian leftist newspaper Il Manifesto, along with the Spanish newspaper El Mundo, provided a glimpse behind the scenes of the Gaza flotilla this week. According to initial plans, the flotilla was expected to have reached Gaza since departing from Barcelona's shores on August 31. Instead, the ships became stuck for weeks in Tunisia, experiencing a series of malfunctions and crises.
The problems began, as recalled already in Port Sidi Bou Said, where on September 9 and 10, flotilla members claimed two ships were attacked by drones with incendiary bombs, causing fires on deck, and also distributed documentation of the incident.
Following the attacks, Tunisian authorities cast doubt on this version and also ordered the fleet to move to Bizerte port in the north, where additional delays began – police demanded to photograph and take fingerprints of all participants, and simultaneously, fuel ran out at the port after a mega-yacht depleted the port's fuel reserve. Several activists left the mission, claiming they couldn't withstand the mental and physical pressure.
The tension and delays created cracks in the organizing committee. Early this week, Greta Thunberg was spotted dragging her suitcase on the dock, leaving the ship "Family," which hosts the executive committee, and moving to the ship "Alma," according to the Italian newspaper. Her name was also removed from the list of management members on the official website. According to sources who spoke with Il Manifesto, Thunberg opposed the flotilla's media policy, which focused too much on the flotilla's internal dramas and too little on the situation in the Gaza Strip.
Shortly afterward, journalist Yosef Omar also announced on Instagram that he's leaving the flotilla. According to the Italian article, his sensational style angered participants, and his coverage of the "drone attack" was one step too far.
Thunberg, for her part, clarified in a statement to the anti-Israel site "Drop Site" that she continues the mission as a regular participant – "I strongly believe in this humanitarian mission's goal and in the mobilization power we're seeing around the world." She explained that her role "won't be in the executive committee but as an organizer and participant, because this way I can contribute better."
It appears that the prolonged delay in Bizerte has created a challenging atmosphere. The hours spent at the dock, following Tunisian bureaucracy and waiting for fuel trucks, left the crews "more and more impatient," wrote Il Manifesto, "much frustration is felt about the accumulated delay." Some participants were unable to withstand this and decided to leave the mission, returning to Tunis to fly home, according to the article.
Currently, the main group of about 35 ships passed Malta and is sailing toward Greece, while smaller groups are still scattered between Sicily and Greece.
This is the fourth major flotilla to Gaza this year. In May, the ship "Compassion" was damaged near Malta, and activists blamed Israel for it. In June, "Madeline" was detained with Thunberg and 11 additional activists, and in July, "Handala" was detained with 15 activists.
