Turkish activist aboard Gaza-bound aid vessel: ‘Our hope of entering Gaza still stands’

ISTANBUL 

Turkish activist Huseyin Suayb, aboard the “Madleen” vessel heading for Gaza as part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, said that the crew remains hopeful they will reach the besieged territory despite possible Israeli intervention.

Having lived in Germany for four years, Suayb, who joined the flotilla from there, told Anadolu via Zoom: "Our journey is headed directly to Gaza. We are still heading toward Gaza. There is very little distance left. These are critical hours. God willing, we will be in Gaza tomorrow, as long as we do not face any obstruction.”

The 18-meter vessel departed Italy’s Port of San Giovanni Li Cuti in Catania on June 1 and is now about 310 kilometers from Gaza, according to Suayb.

The flotilla seeks to break Israel’s blockade and deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the enclave, where conditions have sharply deteriorated amid ongoing Israeli military operations.

“Morale is generally good. We’re not thinking too much about what might happen to us,” he said. “Our hope of entering Gaza still stands.”

Israel has warned that it will detain and deport those aboard the flotilla. Suayb criticized these threats, saying: “We didn’t set out on this journey to be deported.”

He further said they had hopes that the world would respond and impose real sanctions on Israel, that their mission might help lift the blockade. “But now we’re entering the final day. It seems they (Israel) will once again continue to act unlawfully.

‘We’re peaceful activists’

Upon being reminded of the loss of lives during previous aid attempts, Suayb emphasized that they were carrying out a peaceful mission, stating: “They may attack us again, threaten us, or resort to personal violence. They may target our lives — but as you know, we’ve experienced this before. Even the slightest reflex shown in self-defense is labeled as a weapon, as terrorism. We are completely peaceful activists. Not a single one of us knows how to fight or use a weapon. We do not pose any kind of threat.”

He highlighted that, despite their peaceful mission, they are being treated as terrorists, stating: “This is all manipulation and black propaganda. They are fully aware of the truth. We will not show any reflexes."

‘We prepare and train ourselves not to show any defensive reflex’

He explained that they are being trained on the ship to avoid any form of self-defense, saying: “Even if they strike us, we prepare and train ourselves not to show any defensive reflex. We have no intention of responding with even a glance, a gesture, or a smile. We do everything possible to prevent them from attacking us and to leave no excuse or reason.”

Noting that Israeli authorities have not contacted them directly, Suayb added: “They don’t communicate with us directly, but we learn about developments through their media channels and know they are monitoring the situation.”

Symbolic aid

Noting that the aid carried by Madleen is symbolic, he said: “Every time we set out, we bring aid according to the capacity our ship can carry. Of course, we are not in a position to deliver aid that can fully heal the wounds of Gaza’s population of 1.5 million.”

Emphasizing that the journey is not just a relief operation, he added: “So, we can call it symbolic aid, but the core purpose of our mission is to break the Gaza blockade.”

Highlighting that humanitarian aid trucks have been held up at Gaza’s border crossings for months and blocked by Israel, he continued: “(The aid) cannot enter through the border. Because it is blocked by the Israeli blockade, the people who need it are dying — burning, starving, and under bombing. Our goal is to end this blockade, to allow the real aid waiting at the border to enter as soon as possible, to achieve a ceasefire, and to stop the bombings.”

When asked if he had a message for the people of Gaza, Suayb got emotional and said: “We’re doing everything we can. I wish we could enter (into Gaza), but we will likely be stopped. I am deeply sorry about this, but our entry is not what matters. Hopefully, this will serve as a means to break the blockade and stop the genocide.”

A tour of the ship

Suayb explained that the capacity of the Madleen is quite limited, adding that the vessel was prepared to carry a crew of 12 people.

During the interview, Suayb gave Anadolu a virtual tour of the ship via Zoom, demonstrating its aid capacity and onboard conditions.

He said that they have been using water very sparingly throughout the journey.

“We wash our clothes with seawater. Since our fresh water supply has dwindled, we take showers by fetching seawater with a bucket. Of course, we still have drinking water, but we also wash the dishes with seawater using buckets because we need to be careful. We don’t know how long we will be here or what can happen. Right now, we have about 20% of our water left, so we’re using it conservatively.”

Regarding food supplies, he confirmed: “We have enough food. The clean water tank is small; it is a tank that can meet the needs of 12 people for a maximum of six days, so it has decreased."

‘I invite people to be more aware’

“I call on people to be more aware. Throughout history, bad governments and oppressive systems have existed everywhere in the world. Sadly, oppression has always persisted, moving from place to place,” he said, emphasizing this situation can only end through the united efforts of the people.

“We learned great lessons after the Nazi atrocities. We created solutions and systems to prevent such horrors from happening again. But sadly, it is happening again now because the rules we set have not been respected,” Suayb added.

“An injustice or oppression happening somewhere else today could happen on our land tomorrow and affect our children. Our silence today will lead to others’ silence in the face of the injustice we might face tomorrow,” he stressed.