Greta Thunberg joins activists sailing from Italy to Gaza to break Israeli siege

A ship operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition on Sunday set off from Sicily to the Gaza Strip carrying "symbolic" aid to break the Israeli siege on the Palestinian enclave.

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham, and Franco-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan were among the 12-person crew of the Madleen, which is expected to take seven days to reach Gaza.

Journalist Andrea Legni reported from aboard the ship that they were carrying "fruit juices, milk, rice, tinned food and protein bars donated by hundreds of Catania residents".

The barrels of relief were described by the organisers as "limited amounts, though symbolic".

“We are doing this because no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying, because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity,” Thunberg told reporters at a news conference in the port of Catania.

Read more: Greta Thunberg joins activists sailing from Italy to Gaza to break Israeli siege