Representatives of the so-called Freedom Fleet, which has links to Hamas and is also funded by the Erdogan regime, announced on February 10 that it is seeking to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza by sending a humanitarian aid flotilla.
The group, known as the Freedom Fleet Coalition, aims to send thousands of tons of international aid to Gaza, according to Zahir Birawi, an influential coalition member said to have strong ties to Hamas.
Israel has already facilitated the transfer of large amounts of aid to Gaza.
However, the flotilla of two large ships should be ready to sail from Lebanon and Libya in early March.
The headquarters of the Turkish Foundation for Humanitarian Aid (IHH), which supports Hamas and is outlawed by Israel, hosted a press conference of the organization's leaders in Istanbul, where the coalition, which also includes the Turkish "charity IHH, implementing the announcement.
Turkey's role in the whole operation in Israel
It is recalled that the Turkish organization (IHH) had sent a flotilla of six ships with aid to Gaza in 2010, leading to a violent conflict with Israeli forces and a breakdown in Turkish-Israeli relations.
American FDD Institute expert analysis
"The dispatch of a new flotilla is indicative of Ankara's close ties with Hamas. The organizers of the flotilla have close ties to the terrorist organization, and should the flotilla reach its destination, Israeli authorities will have to be extra careful in searching the contents of the "aid" to ensure there are no dual-use materials that could to be used to make weapons for Hamas.
Turkey's main mission in this conflict is to support the terrorist organization Hamas and has little to do with humanitarian aid," said Sinan Sindi of the US-based FDD institute.
"The planned mission of the flotilla to Israel highlights Turkey's support for Hamas and the overlap between pro-Palestinian activism and terrorism," he said.
Zahir Birawi, a Hamas activist according to Israel, is preparing for what amounts to an attack on Israel's naval blockade of Hamas-controlled Gaza.
This turned deadly in 2010 when Turkish activists attacked Israeli soldiers. It could prove deadly again this time,” said David May, FDD Research Director and senior research analyst.
Israel-Turkey relations deteriorated in 2010 after an armed clash on the largest ship in the fleet organized by the Turkish organization IHH, which had the Turkish-owned vessel Mavi Marmara.
Israeli forces reportedly boarded the Mavi Marmara to seek military assistance and opened fire when some Turkish activists attacked them with bats, knives and guns.
10 Turks died in the exchange. While the incident sparked international outrage, the 2011 Palmer Report issued by the United Nations found that Israel's naval blockade was a legitimate form of self-defense.
Turkey and Netanyahu's Israel are on a frontal course and any dangerous incident would certainly ignite tension between them, which we no longer know what it would reach due to the war in Gaza and the known attitude of the Turks.
