ISTANBUL

The international organization the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) said Thursday that 11 more ships are sailing toward the Gaza Strip to challenge a years-long Israeli blockade.

In a statement, FFC said two boats flying Italian and French flags left Otranto, Italy, on Sept. 25, and were joined by vessel Conscience on Sept. 30.

It said the vessels are expected to rendezvous with another 8-boat convoy, “Thousand Madleens to Gaza,” within hours. Together, the two groups will form an 11-ship convoy heading toward Gaza.

According to the coalition, about 100 people are aboard the boats, off the coast of Crete.

FFC, established in 2008, launched dozens of missions aimed at delivering aid and drawing global attention to the humanitarian crisis in the Israel-besieged Gaza Strip.

The new convoy comes a day after Israeli naval forces attacked and seized 42 boats sailing to Gaza to challenge the Israeli blockade and detained more than 450 activists on board.

Israel, as the occupying power, has previously attacked Gaza-bound ships, seized their cargo, and deported activists on board.

Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million, for nearly 18 years, and further tightened the siege in March when it closed border crossings and blocked food and medicine deliveries, pushing the enclave into famine.

Since October 2023, Israeli bombardment has killed more than 66,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The UN and rights groups have repeatedly warned that the enclave is being rendered uninhabitable, with starvation and disease spreading rapidly.