The European Commission does not encourage the departure of flotillas with humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, its spokeswoman Eva Hrnčičová said today, quoted by Agence France-Presse and BTA.
"We do not encourage these flotillas, as they can aggravate the situation at its foundations and expose people to danger", Hrnčičová explained. "We believe that the best way to provide humanitarian aid is through agreements with our partners. That's what we're trying to achieve," she added.
A humanitarian aid flotilla led by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg set sail from Barcelona a week ago for the war-torn Palestinian territory, with the aim of "breaking the illegal blockade of Gaza", organisers said.
The boats of the "Global Sumud" flotilla (sumud in Arabic means steadfastness – ed. note), which is due to reach the shores of the Gaza Strip in mid-September, stopped in Tunisia yesterday, where the activists were welcomed by more than a thousand people in Sidi Bou Said. The boats are expected to set sail again on Wednesday.
The new initiative to deliver humanitarian aid came after similar attempts involving Greta Thunberg, which failed to fulfill their mission.
The boat "Madeleine" with 12 activists on board was intercepted on June 9 by Israeli forces about 185 km west of the Gaza coast.
"This does not help" to improve the situation in the enclave, the EC spokeswoman said today.
At the end of August, the UN declared a famine in the Gaza Strip, where 500,000 people are in a "catastrophic" situation, AFP recalls.