"We have already crossed the orange line marking entry into the area with a high likelihood of interception by Israeli soldiers. We have already crossed the limit of the Israeli blockade that starves Palestinian civilians. On Thursday morning, we will reach Gaza's coast. Unless we are intercepted, of course." On board the Aurora, a sailing vessel in the international humanitarian flotilla en route to the Gaza Strip, French volunteer and international relations professor Thomas Guénolé was recovering on Wednesday, October 1, after a turbulent night. The boat and its 10 crew members, representing as many nationalities, were overflown by drones while Israeli military vessels, running without lights, weaved among the boats, jamming their communications in an effort to intimidate and disperse the flotilla.

Departing from Barcelona on August 31, the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) aims to symbolically break the blockade of Palestinian territory and deliver aid. Its 45 boats, carrying several hundred people – including about 50 French citizens and eight lawmakers – were less than 200 kilometers from the Palestinian territory on October 1. "Israel will not allow any vessel to enter the active combat zone and will not allow the breach of a lawful naval blockade," Israel warned on September 22.

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