LONDON / ISTANBUL

Malcolm Ducker, a retired Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter pilot aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, said the attacks on the fleet's ships had made them more determined in their mission.

Ducker, who is part of the fleet aiming to break Israel's blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid to Gazans, spoke to Anadolu via video link from the ship All In, sailing south of Cyprus.

"It has made everyone, especially me, more determined to continue with the mission. I think the Israelis have miscalculated here,” he said.

Ducker, who flew fighter jets for the RAF in the 1970s, said he became involved in this issue thanks to his daughter, a pro-Palestinian activist.

Ducker, who reacted to RAF aircraft flying over Gaza providing intelligence to Israel, said he contacted RAF pilots still on duty and warned them.

"I tried to get in touch with some of the RAF, the present RAF pilots that were flying some of these missions, and pointed out to them that they could be held accountable for war crimes," he said. 

Global Sumud Flotilla: A product of government inaction

Ducker pointed out that aid ships and the Global Sumud Flotilla were “basically doing what our government should have been doing for the last couple of years. I just hope they understand that it was their responsibility and it was their inaction that got this whole thing going, that the Global Sumud Flotilla came out of this inaction of our irresponsible and morally bankrupt governments.”

He stated that the flotilla was contacted and asked to hand over their aid to Cyprus or Egypt for distribution by Israel, to which he responded that they weren’t “naive enough to believe" them because they haven't allowed any in for months now.

“There's not a word that I've seen that comes out of the Israeli propaganda machine that is anywhere near the truth. It's constant lies. And of course, whenever they want to stop something or gain some kind of sympathy amongst the global population, they call everybody Hamas,” Ducker said.

Despite the harassment they face, the retired RAF pilot said it “won't be anything like what the poor Palestinians are having to go through every day.”

“They have my complete admiration. I know there's another flotilla on the way, and if I get the opportunity to try again, yeah, I'll be there,” he said.