Tabbal emphasized, in her intervention via ‘Sputnik’ radio, that ‘the importance of this move lies in the symbolism of breaking the siege and refocusing attention on the suffering of two million people in Gaza and demanding the opening of humanitarian sea and land crossings.’ Tabbal revealed that ‘organizing a fleet of this massive size requires complex international and daily coordination on several levels.’
Tabbal added: ‘There are central coordinating associations like ‘Global’ which include representatives from all participating countries and organizations, in addition to maritime coordination,’ noting the ‘distribution of navigation, safety, and protocol responsibilities for sailing, as well as coordination with security at facilities.’
Tabbal believed that ‘if it reaches the shores of Gaza, it would be a surprise and a victory for international pressure and human rights, opening a new door for more humanitarian moves, but opposition from Israel is the most likely scenario.’
In the same context, she revealed that ‘in the event any activists are arrested, the fleet has lawyers and human rights defenders to defend them.’ It is noted that this is the third consecutive postponement, following previous delays due to logistical and organizational reasons.
Thousands of Tunisians attended the fleet events in the port of Sidi Bou Said in the capital. The fleet consists of the ‘Freedom Flotilla’ coalition, the ‘Global Gaza Movement,’ the ‘Resilience Caravan,’ and the Malaysian ‘Nusantara Resilience’ organization, comprising thousands of activists from 44 countries.
The ‘Global Resilience Fleet,’ which intends to head to Gaza, announced that one of its boats was attacked by a drone today, Wednesday, in the Tunisian port of Sidi Bou Said, noting that this is the second strike of its kind in two days.
