TEHRAN – As the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza deepens and the international community continues to grapple with the fallout of Israel’s months-long siege, seasoned activist Greta Berlin remains resolute: the ships will keep sailing.

Berlin, co-founder of the Free Gaza Movement and a leading voice in global civil resistance to Israel’s blockade of Gaza, spoke with the Tehran Times on the eve of the 17th anniversary of the first successful flotilla to Gaza, which took place on August 23, 2008. That voyage marked the first civilian sea passage to the besieged enclave in over four decades.

Her remarks come amid new tensions following the recent interception of the Handala, a humanitarian aid vessel bound for Gaza, by Israeli forces in international waters. Passengers were reportedly detained and the ship seized—an incident echoing a familiar pattern of obstruction met by previous flotilla missions.

In this exclusive interview, Berlin discusses the evolving role of civil society, the symbolic power of flotilla activism, and her unwavering belief that international grassroots pressure can—and must—break what she calls Israel’s “illegal siege” on Gaza.

The following is the text of the interview:

Can you describe the latest events surrounding the interception of the Handala ship by Israeli forces?

The Free Gaza movement sailed into Gaza five times in 2008, the only initiative to do so to date. Since 2009 when Israel began attacking our boats, we and the Freedom Flotilla Coalition have continued to send more than 40 boats to break Israel’s illegal siege on Gaza. We’re not surprised that Israeli pirates have illegally boarded the Handala in international waters, kidnapped passengers and towed the boat into Israel. The Israeli government then arrests the passengers, throws them into prison and charges them with illegally entering Israel, the last place any of us ever want to be. Israel’s manhandling of passengers hasn’t changed for 16 years, yet boats will continue to sail to the imprisoned territory of Gaza to hold Israel accountable for imprisoning over two million Palestinians. 
 
Reports indicate that Gaza is facing a severe food crisis with millions at risk of starvation. How critical is the role of flotilla missions like Handala in addressing this humanitarian emergency?

Our missions have always been about global civil society working with Palestinian civil society to break Israel’s illegal siege. It is not about delivering supplies but bringing to the attention to the world that Israel has been holding Palestinians in a concentration camp since 2005. Yes, we can take token supplies in, but our goal is to keep telling the world that Gaza is the only territory on the Mediterranean that has no access to its own waters. Gaza has been occupied since 1967 with every year that has passed seeing Israel clamping down on Palestinian movement. 
 
How has the recent resumption of limited humanitarian aid deliveries affected conditions in Gaza, and where do significant gaps still remain?

This question is difficult for us to answer, because we are not politicians who are part of the US/Israeli attempts to starve the people in Gaza. But anyone watching Palestinian children die of starvation should be appalled at Israel’s actions and the US acquiescence. It’s clear that Netanyahu and his gang of settler thugs have the permission of the US government to, as Trump just said, “Finish the job”. For those of us who are Americans, we’re appalled that food has become a weapon of war.  
 
Western governments and mainstream media have been criticized for muted or inconsistent coverage of Gaza’s humanitarian crisis. From your perspective, how has this affected international response and public awareness?

I’ve been working for justice in Palestine for 58 years, for the past 25 years full time. There is a sea change happening since October 7, 2003, thanks to social media and the young generation in the West (and elsewhere) that counts on getting their news from YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, and thousands of podcasts rather than mainstream media. 
I’m very encouraged to see this change in public awareness. Just look at the massive demonstrations around the world for Palestinians and against the Israeli genocide. Mainstream media has begun to grudgingly report the truth about Israeli genocide. When cell phones tell the truth, and we see photos every day of Palestinians being slaughtered and now starved to death, it’s harder and harder to cover up the war crimes of Israel. Even the New York Times and the BBC have begun telling the truth, or part of the truth. And the Global South has stepped up way ahead of the West. Countries like Malaysia, South Africa, Iran, Yemen, Columbia, Venezuela have been advocating for justice in Palestine for years. 
 
Could you comment on the role of independent activists and flotilla missions in challenging prevailing narratives and pressuring governments for humanitarian relief in Gaza?

The Free Gaza movement began a lot of the activism when we successfully sailed into Gaza five times in 2008. Because of our audacious sailings, activists began the Gaza Freedom March from Egypt in 2009. George Galloway headed up Viva Palestina overland convoys, which were humanitarian aid efforts that delivered supplies to Gaza also in 2009. 

We were the pioneers in breaking the siege by sea, but there were others that were breaking the siege by land. For two years, until Israel attacked our Freedom Flotilla I, the Mavi Marmara, and murdered ten of the passengers, convoys by sea and land were continuously making their way to Gaza.  

August 23rd marks the 17th anniversary of the Free Gaza Movement's first successful journey. Looking back, what do you believe are the most significant achievements and challenges since that inaugural voyage?

Here is how it all began. Mary Hughes Thompson and I were sitting in the Knight’s Palace in 2005 when Sharon pulled the illegal Israeli settlers out of Gaza. We watched with such joy as they were shoved, pushing and yelling, onto buses and forced to leave Gaza. Israel loudly proclaimed to the world that Gaza was free.

Within days, dozens of us who had volunteered for the International Solidarity Movement began coming up with ideas on how to get to Gaza. Three of us, all graduates of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) direct-action decided we’d call their bluff and organized the first flotilla of boats…ok It was two boats…to sail to Gaza.

After all, Gaza was now free, and we didn’t have to ask Israel for permission…and we didn’t.

Even the New York Times and the BBC have begun telling the truth, or part of the truth, about Israeli genocide.We succeeded because we had a tight-knit core who we already trusted as we’d worked with the ISM. In fact, the majority of passengers were graduates of the ISM.

We succeeded because we never lost sight that our objective was to sail to Gaza, in spite of infighting.

We succeeded because the three of us organizers were over 65, had run our own businesses and didn’t need to be paid. And we were American. No matter how much I despise our government’s actions toward Palestine, there is one thing to be said about us Americans.

 We are the eternal optimists. This direct action never would have gotten off the ground in many other countries because their citizens are too realistic. We were not.

Our first trip was a resounding success. No one thought we’d do it, but we did. The Israelis didn’t know what to do with us, because we called their bluff that Gaza was free. They called us ‘aging hippies,’ and sneered at our boats. 

We took everything they said to us, put it in a press release and sent it out. The activist world was entranced and the closer it got to our sailing, the more media finally paid attention. 

We were doing something different. And that was the charm of the action. No international boat had sailed into Gaza in 41 years and we did. 

And we went four more times before Israel attacked our boat in December 2009 during Operation Cast Lead. Since then, no boat has been able to land in Gaza. And that’s our major challenge, to continue to sail to Gaza’s shores knowing we will be intercepted, our boats confiscated, passengers arrested and deported, and our equipment stolen. It’s expensive to continue these voyages and that’s another challenge. Sending one or two boats at a time is no longer a viable option. We need dozens to hundreds of boats. 

And that’s our hope, all of us who have participated in these sailings. There is a new initiative beginning by Malaysia and other countries. It’s called the Global Sumud Flotilla, bringing together activists and organizers from over 40 countries with dozens of ships. 
The mission is a response to the recent seizure of the Handala vessel by Israeli authorities. You can see, then, that the more Israel stops the flotillas, the more global attention they have had and the broader the response is becoming. 

We activists are eagerly waiting for organizers to let us know what we can do and when the flotilla will sail to Gaza, because these boats are not going to stop sailing. 

THE 1000 FLOTILLA INITIATIVE TO BREAK THE SIEGE – Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisation (MAPIM)

Our initiatives have brought people together from around the world, from countries who may have their issues, but we don’t. Our only issue has always been to sail into Gaza and break Israel’s illegal siege.