The Assembly of International Organisations announced on 10 February that it was seeking to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza by sending a flotilla of humanitarian aid, The Foundation for Defence of Democracies informed.
The so-called Freedom Flotilla Coalition intends to deliver thousands of tonnes of international aid to Gaza, according to its influential member Zahir Birawi, who allegedly has strong ties to Hamas.
The two-ship flotilla is expected to be ready to sail from Lebanon and Libya in early March. The headquarters of the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), which supports Hamas and is outlawed by Israel, held a press conference in Istanbul at which the coalition made its announcement.
However, Sinan Ciddi, FDD Non-Resident Senior Fellow, argued that the organisers had strong links to the terrorist group and Israeli authorities needed to check the contents of the “aid” to make sure there were no dual-purpose materials that could be used to produce weapons for Hamas.
Turkey’s main mission in this conflict is to support Hamas’s terrorist cause and little to do with humanitarian relief.
Relations between Israel and Turkey deteriorated in 2010 after an armed clash on board the largest ship in the flotilla organised by the IHH. Israeli forces reportedly boarded the Mavi Marmara seeking military aid and opened fire when some Turkish activists on board attacked them.
Ten Turks died as a result of the encounter. While the incident caused worldwide indignation, the 2011 Palmer Report, published by the United Nations, found that Israel’s naval blockade was a legitimate form of self-defence.
In 2013, Turkey agreed to drop legal action against Israeli officers involved in the incident.
