Francesca Albanese says states with navies could break Israel’s siege on Gaza but choose not to

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, has criticised the failure of states to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza, where Israel faces accusations of genocide and deliberately starving civilians.

Pointing to the Global Sumud Flotilla, which has reached waters close to Gaza in small civilian boats, Albanese questioned why governments with powerful navies have not acted.

“If citizens of the world, travelling in small and underresourced boats, have been able to get to within 60 nautical miles (111km) of Gaza in a flotilla, why states don’t break the blockade with their navies?” she wrote on social media.

“Is this the world we live in? No, we do not accept it,” Albanese added, before wishing the flotilla safe passage: “Go, go Flotilla! Sail safe. God’s wind.”