EU lawmaker Rima Hassan says new aid boat set to depart for Gaza

ISTANBUL

French-Palestinian Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan said Thursday that a new aid ship is “almost ready to depart” for Gaza in remarks following her return to Paris after being detained earlier this week by Israeli authorities.

Hassan had been aboard the aid ship Madleen when it was intercepted in international waters by Israeli forces. The vessel was part of a flotilla aiming to deliver aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip.

“I have a message for Israel: the next boat is almost ready to depart,” said Hassan, speaking to reporters upon her arrival in Paris.

"There will be as many ships as necessary to break" the humanitarian blockade imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip, she added.

The European lawmaker reiterated her support for humanitarian efforts in Gaza and called on the international community to uphold international law and protect aid missions.

The British-flagged vessel Madleen departed Sicily, Italy on June 6 bound for Gaza, attempting to break Israel's naval blockade of the enclave.

The territory has seen over 55,000 deaths from Israeli military operations since October 2023, while 2 million Palestinians in Gaza are at risk of famine due to ongoing restrictions on humanitarian aid.

Israeli forces seized the Madleen early Monday and detained its 12-strong crew.

Those aboard the Madleen were Turkish citizen Suayb Ordu and German citizen Yasemin Acar as well as Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, Rima Hassan, Baptiste Andre, Pascal Maurieras, Yanis Mhamdi and Reva Viard from France, Thiago Avila from Brazil, Sergio Toribio from Spain, Marco van Rennes from the Netherlands and Omar Faiad, a journalist with Al Jazeera Mubasher, also from France.