Ending the genocide and suffering is a matter of morality and will. If they wanted to, governments around the world could stop the endless funneling of arms and dollars that the state of Israel is using to continue committing these horrific war crimes and leverage to immediately end the genocide.
We call on the governments of Turkey, Italy, Spain – and of the entire world – to transform their supportive gestures into commitments and into action. Accompany this flotilla to Gaza's shores. Assert the right to free passage and humanitarian access under international law. Stop facilitating the shipment of weapons that fuel the slaughter, and instead use your ships, your influence, and your voice to protect life.
The Turkish navy, in coordination with the Red Crescent, has facilitated the delivery of additional humanitarian aid to our flotilla. The Italian government has deployed a naval vessel to sail alongside us, calling its presence "an act of humanity." Spain is preparing to join with their own naval ship/fleet. Italy has also proposed to deliver aid through Cyprus, facilitated by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Sixteen governments have now issued statements of support for the flotilla and its safe passage.
But we must ask: of those governments and others, how many are doing everything possible to stop this genocide, to end the siege, to cut off the flow of weapons that enable it? Governments are quick to speak of protection for their citizens at sea, but many remain silent, or worse, complicit, when it comes to the killing of Palestinians on land.
That failure in government action is why this and other flotillas have had to exist. Everyday people are sailing into danger because governments have failed to act over and over again. And when those same governments send ships to shield their citizens, or propose diversions like Cyprus, they only expose the truth: they have the capacity to end this, yet have chosen not to, refusing to confront the very crimes that make these missions necessary.
Each of these actions – sending ships, issuing statements, offering diversion plans – shows that governments have the means, the legitimacy, and the responsibility to act. What is missing is the political will to carry these steps to their conclusion: not just protecting citizens, not just diverting aid, but ending the siege itself, standing for the humanity of the Palestinian people, and doing everything possible to end the genocide.
We thank the dockworkers, unions, and grassroots organizers whose persistence helped make this moment possible. Their activation reminds the world that it is people power that forces governments to do what's right. It's long past time for governments and world leaders to act, demand an end to the suffering, and end their complicity.
This flotilla is not only about delivering urgently needed humanitarian aid to a population being intentionally starved as the world watches. It is about breaking a blockade, ending Israel's history of killing and maiming with impunity, exposing complicity, and affirming that Palestinians, like all people, have a right to dignity, self-determination, and a just peace. The people of Europe, Turkey, and beyond have already shown their courage. Now it is time for the governments of the world to match it.
