And Media Blackout.
A boat carrying dozens of international journalists and medical professionals from 25 countries has set sail for Gaza as part of the latest mission organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) to break Israel‘s illegal siege. The vessel, Conscience, bombed by Israel off the coast of Malta in May 2025, has returned to serve as a vehicle for medics and media determined to reach their colleagues in besieged Gaza.
For nearly two years, Israel has barred foreign journalists from entering Gaza, creating one of the most severe and sustained press blackouts in modern history. During this time, Israeli forces have targeted Palestinian journalists, killing over 270 and imprisoning countless more since October 2023.
Simultaneously, Israel has systematically dismantled Gaza’s healthcare system through relentless siege and bombardment. Hospitals and clinics have been destroyed, while Palestinian medical workers have been starved, abducted, tortured and killed. International medical teams are routinely barred from entering — and those few allowed in are prohibited from bringing lifesaving equipment and supplies.
“The Conscience is the latest and largest boat in this historic flotilla — and its name represents not only steadfast resistance to Israel’s illegal blockade, but a call to awaken the conscience of the world,” said Huwaida Arraf, FFC steering committee member aboard the ship.
“As journalists and medical professionals, we carry the responsibility to speak truth and preserve life. This mission is an appeal to our colleagues — and to the institutions that represent us globally — to break their silence, uphold their ethics, and stand on the right side of history,” said Dr. Ricardo Corradini, general surgeon from Italy.
The launch of the Conscience follows the departure of 10 boats that set sail for Gaza on September 25 and 27, organized jointly by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and Thousand Madleens. Together, these missions seek to break Israel’s illegal blockade, challenge the media blackout, and affirm the Palestinian people’s right to live in freedom and dignity.
We call on governments, international bodies, and global civil society to:
- Demand safe passage for the Conscience and all vessels in the flotilla
- Take urgent action to end Israel’s genocide in Gaza
- Work to dismantle Israel’s illegal blockade and occupation of Palestine
Nine ships of Thousand Madleens Flotilla continue sailing toward Gaza in bid to break Israeli blockade
International Committee for Breaking the Siege on Gaza says vessels now off Egypt’s northern coast on way to blockaded Gaza Strip
The International Committee for Breaking the Siege on Gaza said Friday that nine new ships have now reached the northern coast of Egypt in their continuing journey toward the Gaza Strip to challenge Israel’s blockade.
On US social media company X, the committee said: “The cumulative global movement must continue … every port, every street, every square.”
“We will not stop,” it added, saying that “nine ships of the ‘Thousand Madleens Flotilla’ have now arrived north of (the coastal city of) Marsa Matrouh, on their way to Gaza.”
On Thursday, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) said 11 more ships are sailing toward the Gaza Strip to break the 18-year Israeli blockade.
According to the coalition, about 100 people are aboard the boats, off the coast of Crete.
According to the FFC official tracker, both the Al-Awda (Brucaliffo) and the Ghassan Kanafani are still near the Greek island of Crete.
The coalition, established in 2008, launched dozens of missions aimed at delivering aid and drawing global attention to the humanitarian crisis in the Israel-besieged Gaza Strip.
The new convoy came two days after Israeli naval forces attacked and seized more than 40 boats sailing to Gaza to challenge the Israeli blockade and detained more than 450 activists on board.
Israel, as the occupying power, has previously attacked Gaza-bound ships, seized their cargo, and deported activists on board.
Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million, for nearly 18 years, and further tightened the siege in March when it closed border crossings and blocked food and medicine deliveries, pushing the enclave into famine.
Since October 2023, Israeli bombardment has killed more than 66,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The UN and rights groups have repeatedly warned that the enclave is being rendered uninhabitable, with starvation and disease rapidly spreading.
