Australian Flotilla to Gaza: Fear and Determination

0:00It's April 4, I'm Cory with the story, and this is Sydney News Today, your AI-powered local news. Australian filmmaker Juliet Lamon is gearing up for another shot at breaking Israel's naval blockade on Gaza. Last October, the 55-year-old got locked up for six days in an Israeli prison after her boat got intercepted. She says she faced sexual, assault, no meds, humiliation, and beatings. Now she's co-heading the Australian delegation for a massive flotilla of up to 100 boats loaded with food, medical supplies, and volunteers. The fleet kicks off from Barcelona in mid-April, linking up with others to push aid into the battered strip. Organizers are keeping port secret amid rising tensions, and the months weaning off her blood pressure pills to dodge last-time stroke scare. She's straight up terrified of payback for returning, but Palestinian suffering pulls her back hard. Her co-head Simon Jones notes the fresh Middle East flare-ups with Iran, Israel, and the U.S. have some crew pumped and others spooked over 75,000 dead in Gaza since October 2023,

1:07and no real ceasefire in sight. Everyone's drilled in security, tossing phones overboard, hull checks for bombs, vetting crew to block saboteurs like before. Aussies like Jewish activists Annie Mokotow, singer Jaden Kitchener Waters, and climate guys Zach Schofield, who got laser eye surgery, are aboard strong. Boats with top captains, all non-violent humanitarians. This crews twice as big as last-times 49 vessels, giving a more real fighter shot at Gaza's shore despite the chaos. They're raising funds, eyeing backup ports, and holding steady courts through the fog of war.