Ship ‘Conscience’ enter Israeli zone today

Staff Reporter :

The ship Conscience, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) bound for Gaza, is expected to reach the “red zone” early Wednesday, according to Drik Managing Director and photographer Shahidul Alam, who is aboard the vessel.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Shahidul Alam said the ship was around 70 nautical miles from the “red zone,” referring to the area where Israeli forces had recently intercepted the Sumud flotilla and detained several rights activists.

“We are somewhat behind schedule as we decided not to leave behind the boats of the Thousand Madleens—smaller and slower vessels that are also part of FFC—though we have progressed much faster than the Sumud flotilla, which had faced temporary stoppages due to high winds and a significant storm,” Alam wrote.

He added that the slower boats had now caught up, and the Conscience was advancing toward the area where previous flotillas had been “illegally intercepted” by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

Tuesday also marked the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian groups on Israel, which triggered the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza. Shahidul Alam referenced the anniversary in his post, writing, “It was on this day, two years ago, that Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups launched a surprise attack on Israel, in which 1,195 Israelis and foreign nationals, including 815 civilians, were killed. 251 were taken hostage with the stated goal of forcing Israel to release Palestinian prisoners.”

He continued, “Since the start of the Israeli offensive that followed, over 67,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed—almost half of them women and children—and more than 169,000 have been injured.”

Citing data referenced on Wikipedia and drawn from The Lancet, Alam noted that “traumatic injury deaths were undercounted by June 2024” and that the actual toll could be higher when “indirect” deaths are included.

Explaining the mission of the Conscience, Shahidul Alam said the vessel carries mostly journalists and medics — two professional groups that, he argued, have been systematically targeted by Israeli forces. “This is a statement by these two groups which challenges the illegality of these targeted killings and the illegal siege of Gaza,” he said.

He pointed out that Israel has barred foreign journalists from entering Gaza for two years, during which time local Palestinian journalists have faced relentless attacks. Since October 2023, more than 270 journalists have been killed in Israeli assaults on Gaza, while many others remain detained or imprisoned.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an international network of civil society groups, has been organizing maritime missions for years to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid. The Conscience mission marks one of the latest attempts to reach the besieged territory despite repeated Israeli interceptions of similar flotillas.