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| Blockade of the Gaza Strip |
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TheWomen's Boat to Gaza (WBG) was an initiative by theFreedom Flotilla Coalition in 2016 to challenge theIsraelinaval blockade of theGaza Strip.[1][2] The WBG consisted of an entirely female crew and one ship,Zaytouna-Oliva. It started fromBarcelona on 14 September 2016 and visitedAjaccio,Corsica andMessina,Sicily along the way.[3] On 5 October 2016, theIsraeli Navy intercepted the Women's Boat to Gaza some 14 miles outside the 20-mile "Security Zone" off the Palestinian coast,[4] and detained its crew members, who were taken to the Israeli port ofAshdod. The activists were subsequently deported to their home countries.[5][6][7][4]
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition launched the Women's Boat to Gaza to raise awareness of the role of women in advancing the Palestinian struggle in the Palestinian Territories and diaspora. The Women's Boat to Gaza also supported the goals of theBoycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign:
The Women's Boat to Gaza had a total of 26 participants. The voyage was divided into three legs: Barcelona to Ajaccio, Ajaccio to Messina, and Messina to Gaza. Each leg was crewed by thirteen volunteers with several members alternating at different legs of the voyage.[8][9][10][4]
| State | Personality | Status |
|---|---|---|
 Sweden | Malin Björk | Member of the European Parliament of theSwedish Left Party. |
 Israel | Yehudit Barbara Ilany | Photographer, freelancer. |
 Chile | Paulina de los Reyes | Academic,Stockholm University. |
 Malaysia | Dr. Fauziah Hasan | Physician. |
 Australia | Madeleine Habib | Activist and seafarer. |
 Spain | Rosana Pastor | Actress, director/activist, and politician. |
 United States | Ann Wright | Boat leader, retiredUnited States Armycolonel and diplomat. |
| Spain | Lucia Muñoz Lucena | Telesur journalist. |
| Spain | Jaldia Abubakra | Activist. |
 Canada | Wendy Goldsmith | Social worker and boat leader. |
 Norway | Synne Sofie Reksten | Student and crew. |
| Sweden | Emma Rinqvist | Music teacher and crew. |
| United States | Kitt Kittredge | Peace activist. |
| United States | LisaGay Hamilton | Actress. |
 Algeria | Khadija Benguenna | Al Jazeera journalist. |
 Tunisia | Latifa Habachi | Tunisian lawyer, politician, and Member of theAssembly of the Representatives of the People. |
 Egypt | Hayat Al Yamani | Al Jazeera Mubasher Al-‘Amma journalist. |
| Malaysia | Norsham Binti Abubakr | Support Services Manager at An-Nur Specialist Hospital. |
 United Kingdom (Northern Ireland) | Mairead Maguire | Peace activist andNobel Peace Prize laureate. |
 New Zealand | Marama Davidson | GreenMember of Parliament, environmentalist, and human rights activist. |
| Sweden | Jeannette Escanilla | Swedish Left Party Member of Parliament. |
| Algeria | Samira Douaifia | Member of the AlgerianPeople's National Assembly. |
 South Africa | Leigh-Ann Naidoo | Beach volleyball player. |
 Russia | Hoda Rakhme | Al Jazeera camerawoman and editor. |
| United Kingdom (England) | Mina Harballou | Al Jazeera journalist. |
| Spain | Sandra Barrilaro | Photographer. |
TheZaytouna-Oliva was the sole ship in the Women's Boat to Gaza expedition. TheOliva was named after a civil protection boat that the Italian journalistVittorio Arrigoni sailed in prior to his murder by a Palestinian militant group in Gaza in 2011. A second ship called theAmal-Hope was originally due to participate but pulled out subsequently.[3]
Organizations and campaigns participating in the Women's Boat to Gaza have includedSweden Ship to Gaza,Norway Ship to Gaza,Canadian Boat to Gaza, theItalian Freedom Flotilla, the South AfricanPalestine Solidarity Alliance, the SpanishRumbo a Gaza,International Committee to Break the Siege of Gaza,US Boat to Gaza, the New Zealand-basedKia Ora Gaza, andFree Gaza Australia.[3]
