Nearly Half a Million Letters Urge Israel to Protect Madleen

Gaza (Quds News Network)- An online campaign urging the public to write letters demanding that Israel refrain from harming the Madleen or the activists on board has garnered over 498,000 submissions. The Madleen, a ship launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), is en route to Gaza, carrying humanitarian aid and human rights activists protesting Israel’s illegal blockade of the Strip.

Organised by the FFC, participants in the online campaign are asked to “put Israel on notice” by sending a prepared letter to Israeli officials as well as the UN and foreign governments.

The letter states: “Any interception, attack, sabotage, or interference with the Madleen or its civilian passengers and crew will constitute a deliberate, knowing, and unlawful attack on civilians and a violation of international law.”

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition states on its website: “We are putting them on notice”.

“But this letter alone will not stop an attack on those trying to deliver aid to the Palestinian people of Gaza. Your voice and action are what make this protection real,” it states.

The coalition hopes to reach a goal of more than 800,000 letters.

The vessel has set sail in response to Israel’s total aid blockade of the Palestinian enclave since March 2, which has resulted in the deaths of dozens of children due to starvation and malnutrition. More than 90 percent of the enclave’s 2.3 million people are facing acute food shortages, according to aid groups.

The Madleen, named after Gaza’s first and only fisherwoman, departed Catania, Sicily, on June 1, just one month after Israeli drones bombed Conscience, another FFC aid ship, off the coast of Malta.

An Israel-made drone being operated by Greece’s Hellenic Coastguard hovered over the Madleen ship for two consecutive nights on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Thiago Avila, a steering committee member of the FFC, who is on board the Madleen, reported on Thursday a “new drone threat against our humanitarian mission” about 57km (35 miles) from Greece in international waters.

“This time the drone came closer than any other and passed above our boat, which is a CRITICAL threat, considering one month ago Israel bombed our boat in conditions like these at a similar hour,” he wrote in a post on Instagram.

The Israeli military has also warned it will take measures against the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. When asked about the vessel by British newspaper The Times, Israeli military spokesperson Effie Defrin said, “For this case as well, we are prepared.”

“We have gained experience in recent years, and we will act accordingly,” he said, without offering details.

Earlier on Monday, the Israeli military said “it is enforcing the security maritime closure on Gaza and is preparing for a variety of scenarios.”

In a statement, the activist coalition said it “strongly condemns Israel’s declared intent to attack Madleen”, calling it a “threat”.

“Madleen carries humanitarian aid and international human rights defenders in direct challenge to Israel’s illegal, decades-long blockade, and ongoing genocide” in Gaza, the group said.

Israeli media reported on Thursday that the military intends to issue a direct warning to activists aboard the Madleen, ordering them not to approach the besieged territory.

Should the activists defy those orders, the military reportedly plans to seize the vessel and arrest those on board.

According to the Israeli Broadcasting Authority (KAN), the security establishment has decided to prevent the Madleen from docking near Gaza’s coast under any circumstances. Proposed scenarios include forcing the ship to turn back at sea or escorting it to the Israeli port of Ashdod, where the activists would be detained.