ISTANBUL
US veterans joined the Global Sumud Flotilla to push their government to end complicity in the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
“8 U.S. veterans have joined the Global Sumud Flotilla, defying the same war machine they once served,” the organization said in a statement on the US social media company X on Thursday.
The flotilla hailed US veterans’ participation in the global mission, noting their shift from “fighting wars of the empire to fighting for the oppressed.”
“Across the United States, citizens are calling out complicity, demanding an arms embargo, and organizing for justice. These veterans remind us that solidarity means action and that true service is standing with the people of Palestine,” the statement said.
It added that US veterans set sail to Gaza with a clear message: “End genocide, end complicity, and free Palestine.”
Many vessels have been departing Tunisian and Greek ports since Sept. 13 to gather near Malta before sailing together towards the shores of the Palestinian enclave, according to the International Committee to Break the Israeli Siege of Gaza.
The current convoy is the largest of its kind, aiming to challenge the blockade and deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, where famine conditions have taken hold under Israel’s months-long closure of all crossings.
The Israeli army has killed over 65,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.