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A Palestinian group, Heart of Falastin, said in a social media post that a senior leader within the flotilla, ‘a member of the steering committee, the highest governing body of the organization — engaged in sexual relations with multiple activists while on the boat heading to Gaza.’
Boats carrying activists and humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza reposition in the port during a symbolic send-off as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, in Barcelona, Spain(AP)One of the leaders within the Global Sumud Flotilla has been accused of sexual misconduct with three activists on the boat which is heading to Gaza, according to a report in New York Post. He has been identified as Thiago Avila.
A Palestinian group, Heart of Falastin, said in a social media post that a senior leader within the flotilla, “a member of the steering committee, the highest governing body of the organization — engaged in sexual relations with multiple activists while on the boat heading to Gaza.”
"Not one person. Not two. Three different individuals,” it claimed, asserting that it was clear violation of ethics. “To do it on the boat, while heading to a nation undergoing genocide, with volunteers who are under your authority…is a clear violation of ethics and power.”
More than 70 boats carrying 1,000 activists and aid set sail for Gaza from Barcelona and other ports on Wednesday. A Palestinian activist, Saif Abukeshek, said, “We sail because governments have failed. They want a society that feels helpless, that cannot act, that cannot mobilise. We refuse to be that society.”
A ceasefire is in place in Gaza for the past six months. But according to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israelis have killed more than 700 people in the past six months, despite the ceasefire.
Around 2 million Gaza residents are still living in ruins with shortages of food and medicine, and only limited aid entering through a single, Israeli-controlled border post.
The flotilla mission
The Global Sumud Flotilla's latest efforts come less than a year after another attempt was foiled by Israeli authorities.
Last June, dozens of boats sailed close to Gaza, with one even crossing the 22-kilometre line marking the divide from international waters to territorial waters off Gaza. But they were all ultimately intercepted and seized or turned away. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, too, was among those who were arrested, imprisoned and deported by Israel.
They later claimed that the Israeli ministry abused them while they were in detention.
Their interception at sea had been broadcast live by onboard cameras, sparking worldwide protests at the time. But attention on Gaza has since waned, with eyes focused now on the latest Iran war upending the Middle East and roiling global markets.
Organizers hope this mission will bring back attention to the conditions of Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip, which was ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war. More than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war in Gaza began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage.
Greenpeace Spain and migrant rescue group Open Arms, which have committed their two large vessels to sail alongside the smaller flotilla boats, are among those supporting the flotilla.
"We sail because the people of Gaza have a right to exist and to breathe and to thrive on their land," said Eva Saldaña, head of Greenpeace Spain.
(With agency inputs)
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