The Free Gaza Movement

Abstract

The Free Gaza movement began in 2006 as a response to the increasing isolation of the Gaza Strip and the tightening of Israel’s closure of the territory after Hamas won the Palestinian parliamentary elections.1 A group of international activists concerned with the situation in the Gaza Strip were brainstorming ways to impact the situation when one suggested sailing a boat to Gaza. Although many of the activists thought it was a ludicrous idea at first, the idea gradually evolved into the Free Gaza movement and led to the launch of the first boats in the summer of 2008. At the time of writing in November 2010, the Free Gaza movement had organized nine missions, the ninth being the Freedom Flotilla sent in May 2010 with the Mavi Marmara as the flagship. The first five missions, sent between August 2008 and December 2008, reached the Gaza Strip successfully. On December 29, 2008, two days after the start of Operation Cast Lead, Free Gaza sent an emergency boat, carrying doctors, journalists, and medical supplies. An Israeli warship repeatedly rammed the small Free Gaza boat in international waters, causing severe damage to the vessel, and the mission had to be aborted. Two weeks later the Israeli navy intercepted another attempt by Free Gaza to reach Gaza, still during Operation Cast Lead.