Four Italian Lawmakers Join Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza

Rome: Four Italian lawmakers, including two Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), a Senator, and a Lower House Member of Parliament (MP), are set to take part in the Global Sumud Flotilla, which aims to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, as announced by the Italian delegation of the campaign on Wednesday.

According to Ansa News Agency, the spokeswoman of the Italian delegation, Maria Elena Delia, revealed at a news conference that AVS (Green-Left Alliance) MEP Benedetta Scuderi, Democratic Party (PD) MP Arturo Scotto, PD MEP Annalisa Corrado, and Senator Marco Croatti of the 5-Star Movement will join the flotilla. Delia emphasized the significance of their participation, noting that the lawmakers, all from Italian opposition parties, are prepared to physically support the mission.

The departure of the Italian ships and boats, initially scheduled for Thursday, has been postponed to Sunday due to adverse weather conditions affecting vessels traveling from Spain across the Mediterranean.

PD leader Elly Schlein has called on the EU and the Italian government to support the Global Sumud Flotilla in response to threats from Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who stated that the vessels would be seized and those onboard treated as terrorism suspects. Schlein urged European and Italian authorities to counter these threats, emphasizing the humanitarian mission’s goal to break the blockade on aid to the Palestinian people imposed by the Israeli government.

Schlein further criticized the actions of the Netanyahu government, labeling them as criminal and illegal, and reaffirmed the commitment of the PD and the Italian government to stand by the activists of the Global Sumud Flotilla. She urged the Italian government to protect the Italian participants on board.