Gaza Flotilla - genuine peace activists or Hamas puppets?

[TicklishMauveSquid]

It has been reported that these activists have rejected the Italian government and the Vatican's proposal to unload any aid they are carrying in Cyprus, to be transferred peacefully to Gaza.

They seem intent on sailing into a legal blockade in a warzone as a direct provocation to Israel who will be forced to take control of 50 boats and the people on them.

They have made lots of unproven allegations that Israel has attacked their boats which may well be to precursor violent resistance in 'self defence'.

They could be carrying anything, including weapons.

There is quite compelling evidence of Hamas/Muslim Brotherhood connections to this so called humanitarian flotilla, which could be considered perverse in the extreme seeing as Hamas has caused the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

https://govextra.gov.il/mda/march-to-gaza/the-hidden-networks-behind-the-global-sumud-flotilla

Hundreds of Israeli boat owners are being encouraged to counter protest in Navy approved zones (without interfering) as a presence 'a blue and white wall for the hostages'.

What do we think the outcome of this will be with Italian and Spanish Navy vessels in the mix?

This is quite a different situation than the ONE boat in the earlier failed attempt to breach the blockade this year where the 'activists' were peacefully appeased with sandwiches and sent on their way (after refusing to watch footage of Oct 7th).

I think that's a massive problem with all of this, the fact that people were under the impression that Palestinians were living in peace prior to this conflict. Living under the violent occupation of a nuclear power hell bent on having your homes for themselves isn't peace, it wasn't peace prior to Oct 7 and it won't be peace after. Denying Palestinians the right to their own state, the right to self determination, threatening them with force if they dare to try to have that right, it's not peace. It's the status quo that Palestinians have lived under for decades.

Ask the people in Gaza who were bombed for days at the end of Sept 2023 by Israel if they were living in 'peace'. The Israeli government don't want peace anymore than Hamas do. To quote Netanyahu speaking on Palestine 'This land is ours', and 'we will forcibly resist a Palestinian state' and that's exactly what they have been doing and will continue to do for years to come.

No you are mistaken if you are assuming that we thought there was no problem with how Gazans were living prior to this conflict.

It’s a no brainer though that it’s better for them if the fighting stops compared to their fate if it continues.

Things have not got better for Gazans since 7/10, they have got way worse. Things might have improved for them if Hamas had been more successful in their military endeavours but that isn’t what happened. And it won’t happen now Hamas are so weakened and have lost the support of most traditional allies who just want them to sign the deal now and accept they lost.

Why would you think my government is "Iran"? I'm as British as you presumably are. I've just travelled extensively in the region, mostly for business, but some for pleasure, too. I wasn't commenting my personal opinion at this time, just giving an "on the ground" report from how all of this is going down here.

As a general rule: from what I can gouge many people here tend to feel towards Israelis sort of like a lot of you explicitly or implicitly feel towards Palestinians: they think their government is literally evil incarnate and as for the people: just not people's primary concern here.

It's quite interesting to be back. It's my first trip since this current escalation and I'm not that surprised per se but definitely notice just how palpable the anger is.

Where are you if you dont mind me asking?

Will very happily elaborate at great length about specifics when I'm back but: place that is generally considered "friendly" and "pro-Western".

I wasn't assuming that your government was Iran.

Just pointing out that nearly every government in the Middle East where you said you were has endorsed the peace plan, with the exception of Iran.

So it's highly probable that the government where you are has endorsed the peace plan, unless you are in Iran.

(sorry I missed the "currently" bit so did not pick up that you were currently travelling on business).

I would like to know too as going to Cyprus next year - hope it's not there!

The Cyprus government has welcomed the peace plan anyway.

Maybe at this stage it's good to remind people why the blockades are in place:

The Port of Gaza has been under Israeli siege since 2007, when Israel imposed a strict blockade on Gaza. The blockade was put on Gaza after Hamas starts firing rockets into civilian areas in Israel. Egypt also responded with a blockade and bulldozed half of Raffa to create a buffer zone between Gaza and Egypt.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_Seaport_plans#:~:text=The%20Port%20of%20Gaza%20has,zone%20between%20Gaza%20and%20Egypt.

An actual peace deal could have been drawn up though. One that treats Palestinians like people and accepts that they are entitled to the same right to their own state and self determination as Israelis. That was the whole point of countries recognising Palestine so that they could go to the negotiating table on equal footing as Israelis. Except there is no negotiation, the party that has carried out the genocide, and the US who has funded it, are the ones who get to decide the future of the people against whom they’re committing genocide. Once again Palestinians are just pawns. There isnt a single guarantee to Palestinians in this deal, every one is for Israelis.

Take this shit deal where you are still living in intolerable conditions under occupation and with the presence of the people who have spent the past 2 years raping, torturing and killing you or we will continue to starve and slaughter everyone in Gaza isn't a 'peace deal' . It's just less rape, starvation, torture and death. To frame it as a 'peace deal' is disingenuous. Sure it will be better than the present situation but that isn't peace.

Weird side note perhaps but my brain sort of doesn't register Cyprus as the ME (so you're all fine ... in any case: perfectly safe where I am, too, for me as a visibly white European looking individual).

I suppose geographically it technically belongs to the Levant. But, yeah, I've never thought of it like so.

I know what you mean - been to Cyprus a few times and it doesn't feel like a ME country because culturally it's European.

Got a little hint from your post there that you could be from Ireland.

Ireland has endorsed the deal too of course under the EU umbrella (though no statement from them which isn't surprising given their consistently tough stance against Israel).

Even China and Russia have endorsed the plan!

Hamas really will be isolated if they turn down a plan that pretty much the whole world has endorsed.

How can you argue that the Palestinians are entitled to the same right to self determination as the Israelis when that self determination led to a terrorist entity taking control as a government, a complete reliance on aid and ultimately the atrocities of Oct 7th?

A majority of Palestinians, in the West Bank as well, support Hamas and what they did on Oct 7th. How on earth can their opinion be seen as legitimate?

There is no 'equal footing' between Israel and the Palestinians IMO. Terrorism was a way of life for Palestinians long before Hamas took over the strip in 2006.

Was there there terrorism against Jordan and Egypt while they were illegally occupying Judea and Sumaria (before they renamed it to the West Bank) and Gaza?

I'd like to know what evidence there is of the IDF raping Palestinians, other than cases where the perpetrator was prosecuted and jailed. This is another blood libel often touted as fact with absolutely no evidence.

Every accusation is a confession as they say, and this one is to counteract the mass rapes of Oct 7th which many pro-Pals refuse to believe.

That disgusting woman on the flotilla confirmed that.

Also from the language being used by the 'peace activists' on the flotilla, such as saying Israel is threatening them with 'mass murder' and stating they are risking death, when they are well aware that all that happened to the last flotilla was sandwiches and deportation, I would not at all be surprised if the IDF is met with violence when they intercept these boats.

They seem to be setting the scene to blame Israel with the accusations that Israel has already been attacking the boats with no evidence whatsoever.

Very concerning indeed.

I definitely do not trust Hamas , I assume in common with most people who have been horrified by the atrocities committed on both sides of this terrible situation. However, I do trust the UN : https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/09/israel-has-committed-genocide-gaza-strip-un-commission-finds

My point was that debating that debating the merits of Flotilla is like rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic, as an awful tragedy unfolds further in front of us.

It's just less rape, starvation, torture and death

I mean that does sound like an improvement? Seriously though, a peace deal has to be a good thing - it is a step forward and prevents more children from dying.

The losers in wars don’t get to dictate terms and for months and months people on here have been saying they just care about innocents dying and want the war to stop - now some seem to be saying ‘yes but not like that’ - so maybe it’s not all about preventing the deaths of children?

Having been accused many times on here of not caring or even being gleeful about children being killed, despite stating clearly and regularly that all the deaths in this war are tragic (though I’m not losing sleep over Hamas and Hezbollah operatives), it’s a little surprising to see this take!

There is absolutely nothing legal about this disgusting ‘war’ and I dream that justice will prevail one way or another in the end- it makes me wish there was a hell for Netanyahu to rot in, along with all people who celebrate the murders of children- children of any nationality, religion, race or creed.

Its feels like it wasn't about the children. Ceasefire now, then the potential of stopping the war and some would rather it went on. Heck, priorities of saving innocents soon got thrown to the side. Hypocritical really.

So that’s most Palestinians then.

The cheering on release of the Bibas babies was something to behold. Grim.

People don’t want to see Palestinians dying, our problem is this does not stop Israel from just razing Palestine again in another few years. It offers no protection. The fact you see this about “winning” is messed up.

Wars are categorised in history as which side won and which side lost.

Every war is way more nuanced than that and you could always question if the “winning” side should really be described in that way, given all the deaths (on both sides), destruction & ongoing problems after the war has ended.

It’s still the way wars will be described after they end. This one will be too by future generations studying it.

It offers Israel no protection either. All this does is kick the can down the road.

I saw a video yesterday of the IDF detaining 2 little Palestinian boys, I don't know maybe 6 and 8, maybe younger, one of them was crying his heart out, like heartbroken and terrified. When a local said that they were just kids the soldier said 'I don't care'. People talk about Palestinians being radicalised, this is the 'radicalisation', treat people like they are sub human and they will hate you. Push your way into their homes, detain their little children, steal their homes, forbid people from walking down their streets and using their roads, you aren't 'winning' anything.

It's disgusting behaviour that the whole world is now aware of. The genie can't be put back in the bottle. Israelis can keep trying to ignore what their government and what their soldiers are responsible for but the rest of the world won't.

She didn't say anything about winning.

Disgusting comment

Indeed. The cheering of IDF soldiers when they blow a civilian up- also grim
why condemn only one?