Organizers announce largest civilian-led flotilla to Gaza with over 100 boats in March скачать в хорошем качестве

Organizers announce largest civilian-led flotilla to Gaza with over 100 boats in March

(5 Feb 2026) RESTRICTON SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Johannesburg, South Africa - 05 February 2026 1. Wide of speakers during the Sumud Flotilla conference brief 2. Mid of reporter filming the proceedings during the Sumud Flotilla conference 3. SOUNDBITE (English) Sümeyra Akdeniz Ordu, Activist: “Here, I hereby we are coming with the announcement that we will sail with this time thousands of participants including more than 1,000 doctors, nurses, health professionals, over 100 boats and we are inviting hereby participants from every nation, from every country. The departure will be at the initial historic departure from Barcelona followed by Tunisia, Italy, and other Mediterranean ports." 4. Journalists and attendees 5. SOUNDBITE (English) Mandla Mandela, Activist: "We therefore want to call on all members of parliament who support the Palestinian cause to join us and we call on our president, his excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa, to implement what was adopted by our national parliament to expel the Israeli ambassador and close down the embassy and this has been the call of our parliament.” 6. Mid of attendees and journalist during the briefing 7. Mid of media during the flotilla brief STORYLINE: Organizers of an international flotilla of boats carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza on Thursday announced plans for another mission with more than 100 boats in March. Campaigners, who organized a similar aid flotilla last year, described the upcoming mission as the biggest civilian-led mobilization against Israel's actions in Gaza. They called on the international community to prevent Israeli forces from intercepting the operation. The announcement was made at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in South Africa and speakers included Mandla Mandela, grandson of the late former South African president. The United Nations said that hundreds of thousands of pallets of humanitarian supplies have been offloaded and collected at various crossings into Gaza since a ceasefire was announced in October. Mandela was part of the flotilla that embarked on a mission to Gaza last year and was detained along with other activists when their boat was intercepted by Israeli forces before they could reach Gaza shores. According to organizers, more than 1,000 activists including medical doctors, war crimes investigators and engineers will form part of the flotilla. It will be supported by a land convoy that is expected to attract thousands more activists across countries including Tunisia and Egypt. The boats are expected to sail from Spain, Tunisia and Italy toward Gaza. Activists said they were aware that they might be confronted by Israeli forces but that they were protected by international law. Mandela said they had chosen to host the briefing at the Nelson Mandela Foundation to highlight Nelson Mandela's support for the Palestinian cause and also welcomed the country's decision to expel Israel's deputy ambassador to South Africa. While the previous mission had mobilized about 50 vessels and 500 activists, only 44 of them managed to sail towards Gaza after some were forced to turn back during the trip due to technical problems. Israeli vessels approached the boats while they sailed in international waters during the night, spraying some with water canons and flashing bright lights before Israeli forces boarded them and detained the activists Organizers said an estimated 443 participants were detained, including Mandela, activist Greta Thunberg and European Parliament member Rima Hassan. AP Video shot by Alfonso Nqunjana Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...