Greta Thunberg joins activists sailing towards Gaza Strip in aid ship amid Israeli attacks: ‘We have to keep trying’

Climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and 11 other activists are set to sail towards the Gaza Strip on the ship on Sunday afternoon in a bid to break “Israel’s siege” in the devastated territory, the Associated Press reported, citing organisers.

Climate activist Greta Thunberg interacts with journalists in Catania, Italy, on Sunday, June 1, 2025, ahead of their departure for the Mideast. (AP)

The boat Madleen – operated by the activist group Freedom Flotilla Coalition — will embark from the Sicilian port of Catania in southern Italy for the shores of the Gaza Strip.

At a press conference, the activists said they would try to reach the shores of the Gaza Strip to bring in aid and raise “international awareness” over the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

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“We are doing this because, no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying,” Thunberg said, bursting into tears during her speech, according to the news agency.

“Because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity. And no matter how dangerous this mission is, it’s not even near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the live-streamed genocide,” she added.

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The activists anticipate a seven-day journey to their destination, provided they are not halted.

Israel has pledged to take control of Gaza and continue its efforts until Hamas is either destroyed, disarmed, or exiled, as well as until the militant group returns the remaining 58 hostages captured during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that ignited the conflict.

Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people in the 2023 attack. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed around 54,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, according to the Associated Press.

On its part, Israel has adamantly rejected allegations of genocide in Gaza against it as an antisemitic “blood libel.”

In mid-May, Israel slightly relaxed its blockade of Gaza after almost three months, permitting a restricted influx of humanitarian aid into the region. Experts caution that Gaza faces the threat of famine unless additional aid is delivered.