Culture sends letter to the Portuguese Government regarding flotilla access to Gaza

In the letter, entitled "Open Letter to the Portuguese Government for Compliance with International Law", the signatories highlight - from a series of statements issued in recent days by the Israeli government, addressed to the flotilla - a post on the social network X in which the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gideon Saar, declares that he will detain the flotilla, preventing it from delivering the humanitarian aid it is carrying.

"With this threat, the Israeli government seeks to intimidate the citizens who are part of this mission, as well as normalize the possibility of violent intervention, which would constitute a new violation of international law," argue the signatories of the text, led by the three Portuguese nationals who are on the flotilla: MP Mariana Mortágua, activist Miguel Duarte, and actress Sofia Aparício.

Departing in early September from Barcelona, ​​on the northeast coast of Spain, the flotilla reported having been the target of drone attacks (unmanned aircraft) off the coast of Tunis and then off the coast of Greece.

The Sumud Global Flotilla, made up of around 50 ships carrying activists, politicians, journalists and doctors of more than 40 nationalities, and considered the largest flotilla organized to date, aims to reach Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid and break the Israeli naval blockade, after two attempts were blocked by Israel in June and July.

The Israeli government said on Monday that it would not allow the flotilla to reach Gaza, which has been at war for almost two years, and instead proposed that it dock at the port of the Israeli city of Ashkelon, north of the Palestinian enclave, and transfer the aid, which it said it would be responsible for delivering to its destination.

"We would like to remind you that this is a peaceful mission (...) made up of civilians from over 40 countries. On board the vessel carrying the Portuguese delegation are citizens of Portugal, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Turkey, Italy, Australia, Brazil, Morocco, the United States, and others. We are journalists, doctors, teachers, actors, former mayors, sailors, and we are only transporting food and medicine," they emphasize.

Therefore, firstly, they urge the Portuguese Government to "repudiate the statements issued by members of the Israeli Government, which announce their intention to prevent the delivery of humanitarian aid", arguing that "such actions constitute a flagrant violation of International Law".

Secondly, they call on the Portuguese government to do everything possible to ensure "that the flotilla reaches its destination and that the safety of its passengers, including three Portuguese citizens, is assured."

This appeal comes in the wake of armed attacks against the flotilla and the fact that, in June, Israel detained at sea - according to the organization, in international waters - the Freedom Flotilla ships attempting to reach Gaza and deported its members, some of whom had spent time in Israeli prisons.

Finally, the letter's signatories urge the Portuguese government to "fulfill its obligation to make every effort to stop the ongoing genocide [in the Gaza Strip], including through the application of sanctions against Israel."

They also point out that "16 States, including Spain, Ireland and Slovenia, have already taken an official position on the legitimacy and legality of the flotilla's mission, having declared: 'Any violation of International Law and Human Rights of the flotilla's participants, including attacks against ships in international waters or illegal detentions, will give rise to accountability'."

The war declared in Gaza to "eradicate" the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas - after its attack on Israel left around 1,200 dead and 251 hostages - has so far left at least 65,419 dead, mostly civilians, and 167,160 injured, in addition to thousands missing, presumably buried in the rubble and also scattered in the streets, and thousands more who have died from diseases and infections, according to updated figures from local authorities, which the UN considers reliable.

Deaths from hunger also continue daily, caused by more than two months of humanitarian aid blockade and the subsequent trickle of supplies, distributed in points considered "safe" by the Army, which regularly opens fire on starving civilians, having so far killed 2,531 and injured at least 18,531.

The UN has long declared the territory to be in a serious humanitarian crisis, with more than 2.1 million people in a "catastrophic famine situation" and "the highest number of victims ever recorded" by the organization in studies on food security in the world, but on August 22 it issued an official declaration of a state of famine in Gaza City and its surrounding areas.

At the end of 2024, a special UN commission accused Israel of genocide in Gaza and of using famine as a weapon of war, a situation also denounced by countries such as South Africa at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and a classification also used by international and Israeli human rights organizations.

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