(31 May 2025)
RESTRICTIONS SUMMARY:
++PARTIALLY MUTE++
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Catania, Italy - 31 May 2025
1. Wide of Freedom Flotilla yacht, the “Madleen” anchored off the port of Catania
2. Aerial drone shot from Madleen anchored off the coast tilt-down to crowd in port at Freedom Flotilla event ++MUTE++
3. Greta Thunberg at event, walks away when she sees cameras
4. Wide of Volunteers gathering food to take to Gaza
5. Close-up of supply box
6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Liam Cunningham, Actor from Game of Thrones:
“The mission is to defeat Goliath. This small boat that is taking 12 people with crutches, 3D printed prosthetic arms for babies, baby formula, all of these things are not allowed into Gaza. So this is - we are David. Israel is Goliath, ironic.”
7. Mid of supplies on table to be taken to Gaza
8. Wide of people putting together boxes of supplies
9. Aerial drone top shot of area in port where the event is taking place ++MUTE++
10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Yasemin Acar, Activist with Freedom Flotilla:
“We are here in Catania right now. We have our ship, the sailing boat Madleen, which will carry 12 activists to Gaza, but most importantly, we are carrying humanitarian aid, which is medicine, we have crutches, we have food, we have baby formula because all of these are not allowed into Gaza. Not that there not - only these products are not allowed in Gaza, for many, many years, even before the genocide it was very much controlled. But since almost 3 months we are seeing a total blockade, around Gaza an inhumane siege. Nothing is entering, not one bottle of water, not one bag of flour is entering Gaza at this very moment. Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war.”
11. Various aerial drone shots of the port and the Madleen anchored off the shore ++MUTE++
STORYLINE:
Activists from a human rights organization trying to bring aid to Gaza gathered in Catania, Sicily, on Saturday, a day ahead of their departure for the Mideast. Their last attempt to bring aid to Gaza was foiled by a drone attack off the coast of Malta.
This time, the group will be using the yacht “Madleen” for the trip. On Saturday, activists gathered food and sanitary supplies in boxes to be delivered to Gaza as they prepared for their departure. Just offshore, two Palestinian flags blew in the wind on the bow of the Madleen.
Activist Yasemin Acar told reporters, “We have our ship, the sailing boat Madleen, which will carry 12 activists to Gaza, but most importantly, we are carrying humanitarian aid, which is medicine, we have crutches, we have food, we have baby formula because all of these are not allowed into Gaza,” concluding, “Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war.”
Climate activist Greta Thunberg appeared briefly at the event Saturday afternoon but quickly disappeared when she saw cameras. She is expected to speak at a press conference Sunday morning before the Madleen’s departure. A spokeswoman for the Freedom Flotilla would not confirm whether Thunberg will be among the 12 people setting sail on Sunday. The group expects to take seven days to get to their destination if they are not stopped.
Earlier this month, drones attacked the Conscience, another of the group’s ships carrying aid to Gaza in international waters off the coast of Malta.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition accused Israel of attacking its ship. The group did not provide evidence for that claim or show that drones caused the fire, but in a video it shared, an explosion could be heard. Another video showed a fire blazing.
The Israeli army did not respond to a request for comment.
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Video at Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDWlXTYoK0M