'There is no ceasefire in real life,' says Gaza aid convoy activist

An activist from Gaza-bound humanitarian mission Global Sumud Flotilla said Tuesday "there is no ceasefire in real life" in the Palestinian enclave, calling on people across the world to "speak up" against Israel's ongoing practices in the blockaded territory.

"There is no ceasefire in real life,” Mexican activist Al Muatasem Belah Alwiraikat Flores told Anadolu aboard one of the flotilla's boats. “Maybe we hear about the ceasefire in the news, but in real life we don't see that.”

The Israeli army has continued its attacks in Gaza despite a ceasefire in place since last October, killing at least 877 Palestinians and injuring 2,602 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

"Since 1948, the people of Gaza have not seen a normal day, where they can just sit around without hearing the sound of bombs, or without their homes being taken by occupiers,” Flores said.

"That has to stop," he said, calling last month’s Israeli attack on another Gaza-bound aid flotilla off the Greek island of Crete a “shame” for the European Union.

In late April, the Israeli army attacked flotilla boats in international waters off the Greek island of Crete. The convoy at the time included 345 participants from 39 countries, including Turkish citizens.

"I think that's a shame for the EU as it shows how they work with Israel, and how they help Israel to enjoy impunity,” Flores said.

"I think that's really sad and I think that has to stop right now," he said, calling on people from other countries to go out to the streets and "raise up your voice" to demand an end to the ongoing Israeli violations, calling Tel Aviv's practice an "act of piracy."

Lautaro Rivara, the convoy's Argentinian activist, called Israel’s interception of the aid flotilla a “violation” of international maritime law.

Organizers said early Tuesday that all vessels in the aid convoy had been seized by Israel.

"We are awaiting more information about their illegal abduction," organizers of the flotilla said in a statement on Telegram.

The flotilla, comprising 54 boats, departed on Thursday from the Turkish district of Marmaris in a new attempt to break the illegal Israeli blockade imposed on Gaza since 2007.

Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007, leaving the territory’s 2.4 million people on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli army launched a brutal two-year offensive on Gaza in October 2023, killing more than 72,000 people, injuring over 172,000 and causing massive destruction across the besieged territory.