On Thursday afternoon, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition was contacted by the Guinea Bissau International Ships Registry (GBISR), requesting an inspection of our lead ship – Akdenez. This was a highly unusual request as our ship had already passed all required inspections; nevertheless, we agreed. The inspector arrived on Thursday evening. On Friday afternoon, before the inspection was completed, the GBISR, in a blatantly political move, informed the Freedom Flotilla Coalition that it had withdrawn the Guinea Bissau flag from two of the Freedom Flotilla’s ships, one of which is our cargo ship, already loaded with over 5000 tons of life-saving aid for the Palestinians of Gaza.
In its communication informing us of this cancelation, the GBISR made specific reference to our planned mission to Gaza. It also made several extraordinary requests for information, including confirmation of the ships’ destination, any potential additional port calls, and the discharge port for humanitarian aid and estimated arrival dates and times. It further demanded a formal letter explicitly approving the transportation of humanitarian aid and a complete manifest of the cargo.
Again, this is a highly unusual move from a flagging authority. Normally, national flagging authorities concern themselves only with safety and related standards on vessels bearing their flag, and are not concerned with the destination, route, cargo manifests or the nature of a specific voyage. Just like when you register your car, the authorities don’t require you to detail to them every place you are going to go with the car.
Sadly, Guinea-Bissau has allowed itself to become complicit in Israel’s deliberate starvation, illegal siege and genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. Israel is showing the world the extent to which it will go to deny Palestinians the aid they need to stay alive, in direct contravention of International Humanitarian Law, UN Security Council resolutions, and two orders of the International Court of Justice.
[...] without a flag, we cannot sail. But, this is not the end. Israel cannot and will not crush our resolve to break its illegal siege and reach the people of Gaza. The people of Gaza and all of Palestine remain steadfast under the most horrific, unimaginable conditions. We take strength from their incredible, inexplicable ability to maintain their humanity, dignity and hope when the world has given them no reason to do so.
It is our responsibility to keep that hope alive. WE WILL SAIL.
The Freedom Flotilla, which was set to depart from Turkey on the 27th of April with 5000 tons of life-saving aid, has now been delayed because Israel and the United States has pressured Guinea Bissau to withdraw its flag from the Flotilla's lead ship.
Seeing as how their tactics worked on Guinea Bissau, organizers now fear that Israel and the US will exert the same pressure on whichever country the Freedom Flotilla attempt to register their ship under next.
To help the Freedom Flotilla reach Gaza, please keep an eye out for further updates from the organizers. Right now, as of April 27th, they're asking people to help boost their visibility, and to donate to their member campaigns.
In case the esim process confuses you or you aren't able to buy them yourself for any other reason, crips for esims for Gaza is collecting donations, they've almost met their goal of $150,000 raised. Donating allows them to buy esims in bulk which allows them to obtain more than individuals would be able to. I just donated and it was super easy as you can use paypal.
Tim: You can’t keep beating yourself up like this.
Dick: I killed the Joker, Tim. I can’t stop thinking about it. I thought I was more “in control” than that. But I lost it.
Tim: It was made right, Dick. The Joker is alive and “not well” in a maximum security cell.
Dick: It’s not right with me. I never thought I could be a killer. I’m wrong. There’s a part of me I never saw before. The rage. I never felt anger like that. I felt like it clawed me up inside.
–Richard Grayson with Tim Drake (Nightwing #64 – On a Christmas Evening)
falasteenrising Israell pseudo-journalist Yehuda Schlesinger goes on a maniacal genocidal rant, live on Channel 12, the most watched TV channel in Israel.
"These people there (in Gaza) deserve death. A hard death, an agonizing death. And instead we see them enjoying on the beach, having fun... There are no innocent people there in the Gaza Strip... They are now enjoying on the beach, instead of starving, being jerked around, being severely tormented and hiding from shelling... We should have seen a lot more revenge, a lot more rivers of Gazans' blood."
@wizard_bisan1 and AJ+ have been nominated for a Peabody Award for her coverage of Gaza.
For over 6 months, Bisan Owda has shown the world how life in Gaza has been through her eyes. She has told the story of Palestinian survival in the face of the Israeli genocide.
Before Oct. 7, Bisan was making films about cultural life in her native Gaza for her own YouTube channel.
In 2023, AJ+’s @denatakruri won a Peabody Award for her story “One Day in Hebron,” which gave a firsthand account of the Israeli occupation in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank.
The IOF brutalized this young Palestinian boy, and then drugged him/kept him unconscious for a long period of time. This is beyond horrific. This IS cruel torture. I hope he is reunited with his family or has already. I'm beyond enraged and heartbroken for this boy and every single Palestinian child. The occupation must end and Palestine will be free.
Life For Gaza: Each Cent Counts, Quenching the Thirst of Humanity in Gaza City
The Gaza Municipality is tasked with providing vital services such as water supply, waste management and sewage treatment. However, the widespread destruction in Gaza City has severely hampered the Municipality's ability to deliver even the most basic necessities to its residents. With limited access to water, the population faces a dire health and environmental crisis, especially affecting children.
By joining forces in this initiative, we cultivate hope and solidarity, fostering empathy and collaboration across communities while easing the hardships endured by those in Gaza. This collective effort reassures them that they are not alone in their struggle. The Gaza Municipality earnestly appeals for your support to help reinstate essential services, currently the foremost priority. In the northern regions of the Gaza Strip alone, over 500,000 individuals urgently require these services.
Where your donations will be directed:
- Water supply enhancement projects
- Maintenance of water wells
- Implementation of water desalination initiatives
- Management of waste collection and disposal systems
- Reconstruction of roads demolished during war
- Implementation of sewage water pumping and treatment schemes
- Execution of pest control and rodent eradication programs
I tend to draw everything with the same soft pillow-like texture, so painting different surfaces is important practice for me ~ If you want to learn more about how I do this, check out my tutorial on painting different surfaces over on patreon!