[Editor’s Note: Dr. Zaheera’s vessel, Fair Lady, is believed to have been intercepted by Israeli forces. Get the latest updates here.]
“We are fine,” reported Dr. Zaheera Soomar, a UAE resident sailing with the Global Sumud flotilla towards Gaza. Despite other flotilla ships being intercepted, Fair Lady remains on course.
Dr. Zaheera shared that Fair Lady is the last vessel remaining in the convoy, successfully avoiding interception so far. At around 7:20 am UAE time on Thursday, she told Khaleej Times, “We are fine. We’re still sailing towards Gaza.” She expressed hope that some boats would reach their destination to deliver aid, noting several have not yet been intercepted.
Earlier on social media, she posted at about 4 am UAE time that a warship had approached their boat. “It made contact. We might need to ditch our phones soon if you don’t hear from me again,” she wrote. Half an hour later, she updated that they had not been intercepted, saying, “The warship didn’t approach. It’s near but seems occupied with other boats.”
Her posts and those from the Global Sumud flotilla’s official account indicate that Fair Lady is among at least 30 vessels, now just 46 nautical miles from Gaza.
Israeli forces have intercepted at least 13 ships, including boarding and taking control. Videos show forces storming the vessel Alma, carrying 29 people. “Live-streams and communications are down, and the status of participants and crew is unconfirmed. This is an illegal attack on unarmed humanitarians,” noted the account.
Interception has also affected boats like Adara, Spectre, Aurora, Dir Yassine, Huga, and Yulara. Videos by Dr. Zaheera and others display Israeli forces using water cannons on the flotilla.
Challenging Journey
Dr. Zaheera has been providing updates on their challenging journey, marked by rough seas and sabotage. Over the past month, suspected drone attacks have frequently damaged the flotilla, leading to some vessels being abandoned. Activists have had to reorganize among the remaining boats to accommodate those from abandoned ones.
Recently, she shared how she managed only on toast due to motion sickness. Earlier, she had shared with Khaleej Times her decision to join the flotilla and how she prepared wills before the journey.
About the Flotilla
The Global Sumud Flotilla consists of around 45 vessels with 497 participants from 46 countries, including climate activist Greta Thunberg. The flotilla aims to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, where the UN reports a famine. The boats carry 300 tonnes of essential supplies like food, water, and medicine.
Israel has vowed to stop the flotilla, claiming the volunteers aim to “breach a lawful naval blockade.” This interception is illegal under international law, yet Israel has historically blocked previous flotillas and detained activists.
In 2010, an Israeli boarding of a flotilla resulted in 10 activist deaths. Since then, no flotilla has reached Gaza. The Global Sumud is the largest effort to break the blockade.
