ISTANBUL 

An Italian emergency organization will send a rescue vessel to join a Gaza-bound flotilla seeking to break an Israeli siege on the enclave, the Global Sumud Flotilla said on Thursday.

“Italian NGO Emergency will send its 51m rescue ship Life Support to join the Global Sumud Flotilla,” it said in a post on the US social media company X.

“The ship, normally used for Mediterranean migrant rescues, will provide medical and logistical aid. Boats regroup after storms and head to Tunis, where more vessels will join before sailing for Gaza.”

The flotilla set sail from Barcelona earlier this week with around 200 activists, politicians, and artists from 44 countries. It is scheduled to depart Tunisia on Sunday on its way to Gaza.

The Israeli army has launched a brutal military offensive on the Gaza Strip, killing over 64,200 Palestinians in Gaza. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.