The Egyptian Sumud Flotilla has announced it will stop accepting material donations due to the “enormous quantities already collected, which have exceeded the capacity of the boats scheduled to sail in an attempt to break the siege on Gaza.”
Egyptian Sumud organizers are now calling on citizens to volunteer in sorting and packaging the aid, said Mamdouh Gamal, a steering committee member, and the flotilla’s legal representative in a press conference attended by Al Manassa.
Gamal added that the committee had received volunteer applications from “28 assistant captains, 100 doctors, more than 100 paramedics, 200 journalists, over 70 students, in addition to thousands of citizens.”
Two days earlier, the flotilla sent formal invitations to 11 organizations including to “support and take part in this citizen-led initiative, which reflects the unwavering stance of the Egyptian public against the genocide and forced displacement faced by the Palestinian people,” according to a statement issued by the flotilla’s organizers.
“The flotilla’s goal is not just to deliver aid; it also seeks to help break the inhumane blockade imposed on Gaza for years, a collective crime that no free conscience can accept,” the statement added.
Among the organizations approached were the Coordination Committee of Party Youth Leaders and Politicians, the syndicates of acting, cinema, and music professions, the National Council for Women, the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood. Also, the General Union of Maritime Transport Workers.
The Egyptian Sumud Flotilla hopes to join the collective effort of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which is sailing toward Gaza to challenge the Israeli blockade and resist both the siege and the systematic displacement of Palestinians in the Strip. So far, the Egyptian Sumud Flotilla has received no formal response, or permit from the Egyptian authorities to sail.
The Global Sumud Flotilla has set sail on Monday, launching into the last leg of the global journey to break the siege on the Gaza enclave. The Family and the Alma, two vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla were attacked while docked in Tunisia. Organizers are anticipating further attacks, citing Israeli officials' direct threats to Sumud, and previous flotilla mission interceptions and severe detention conditions for activists.
