Around 150 Turkish activists and four opposition deputies joined the Global Sumud Flotilla, which set sail from Tunisia on Sept. 4 to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Saadet Party MPs Necmettin Çalışkan and Mehmet Atmaca, Hüda-Par’s Faruk Dinç, and Gelecek Party’s Sema Silkin Ün took part, while no AKP deputies joined.
The flotilla, which departed earlier from Spain and Italy, aims to break Israel’s blockade and deliver aid. It has drawn volunteers from 44 countries, including members of the Turkish platform “From Anatolia to Gaza: A Breath.”
Writer Ahmet Turgut called the flotilla a “journey of conscience,” saying civil society was stepping in where international institutions had failed. “Our goal is to reach orphans, widows, patients and the wounded in Gaza,” he said.
Producer Mehmet Ercan described the voyage as an effort to uphold human dignity. “There is a deep wound in Gaza, and we set out to be a balm to it,” he said, stressing that participants came together “beyond faith and identity.”
Platform head Fatih Tuğra Doruk said they set sail with the hope of embracing Gaza’s children on its shores. Several Turkish public figures, including Ayçin Kantoğlu and İkbal Gürpınar, also joined the flotilla.
