Turkish authorities have blocked the new Freedom Flotilla, carrying urgent and lifesaving aid to Gaza in an attempt to break Israel’s siege on the Strip, from departing Istanbul, organisers reported.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, comprising multiple humanitarian and pro-Palestinian groups, issued a statement on Saturday announcing that they had been awaiting approval from the Istanbul port authority to set sail.
“It has now become clear that the Turkish government will not grant permission,” the statement said.
The coalition added that the government did not offer “any explanation” for preventing the flotilla to sail, but placed the blame on “intense pressure from the United States, the United Kingdom, and perhaps other NATO countries that are strongly allied with Israel.”