Gaza flotilla is a publicity stunt driven by Hamas

Somewhere in the Mediterranean, off the coast of Crete, a group of about 40 ships carrying hundreds of pro-Palestinian and humanitarian activists is making its way to the Gaza Strip. The voyage is titled the “Global Sumud Flotilla” and is publicly described as a naval mission aimed at breaking the Israeli maritime blockade and delivering humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.

The participation and support of celebrities such as climate activist Greta Thunberg, Irish actor Liam Cunningham, and American actress Susan Sarandon have elevated the flotilla’s wide global media coverage.

In the coming days, the flotilla will reach Israeli international waters, where it is expected to encounter IDF forces that will prevent the participants from continuing their way to Gaza. Israel adamantly claims that the maritime blockade it strictly enforces over the Hamas-controlled territory follows international law and that it will not allow it to be breached.

A head-on clash is practically inevitable, as it is expected that the IDF efforts to block the tens of incoming vessels and their hundreds of passengers will require the use of force. The images of this encounter will most likely further deteriorate Israel’s global public image, which is already at a historic low.

By now, the organisers of the flotilla have turned down offers presented by Israel and the Italian government to unload the humanitarian aid they are carrying at a nearby port, to be delivered by ground to Gaza.

This raises suspicion that the humanitarian facade of the flotilla is a cover for the highly politically motivated participants’ determination to challenge Israel, and that their real aim is to orchestrate a staged conflict for public relations purposes.