ACTIVISTS’ BOAT
Scenes of hunger in Gaza have also sparked fresh solidarity with Palestinians, and a boat organised by an international activist coalition was sailing toward Gaza, aiming to deliver aid.
The boat from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition departed Sicily on Sunday carrying a dozen people, including environmental activist Greta Thunberg, along with fruit juices, milk, tinned food and protein bars.
Israel’s military said it stood ready to “protect” the country’s maritime space, with army spokesman Defrin saying “we are prepared” to handle the flotilla, without elaborating.
In response, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said it “strongly condemns Israel’s declared intent to attack” the boat, calling it a “threat”.
Israel has stepped up its offensive in Gaza in what it says is a renewed push to defeat the Palestinian group Hamas, whose October 2023 attack sparked the war.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said at least 4,335 people have been killed since Israel resumed its offensive on Mar 18, taking the war’s overall toll to 54,607, mostly civilians.
Hamas’s 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, also mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
The army said three of its soldiers had been killed in northern Gaza, bringing the number of Israeli troops killed in the territory since the start of the war to 424.
