Australians join unauthorised activist mission to challenge Israeli blockade and deliver 5,500 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza

So brave based on previous Israeli murders of volunteers trying to bring humanitarian aid via the blockade – Mark

Just weeks after aid worker Zomi Frankcom was killed in Israeli air strikes, three Australians are embarking on an unauthorised mission to deliver food and medical supplies to war-torn Gaza.

“We all feel like this horror is too much to bear, that something desperately has to be done,” Surya McEwen said.

The 38-year-old care worker from New South Wales said he was among 1,000 international activists who will set sail for Gaza on one of three ships, carrying 5,500 tonnes of humanitarian aid with them.

The aim of the mission, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), is to breach Israel’s naval blockade of the Palestinian enclave, where the United Nations says 1.1 million people are in danger from a looming famine.

University of Queensland educator Helen O’Sullivan and New South Welshman Daniel Coward have also said they would take part in the flotilla mission.

The ABC understands they are all expected to depart from Türkiye this week, but the exact date is being kept a secret.