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A Palestinian boy waves a Greek flag during a rally in Gaza City in support of the international Freedom Flotilla hoping to breach Israel's sea blockade on Gaza as it remained banned by Greece from setting sail on July 3, 2011. (Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images)
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou on Sunday offered to help transport the Gaza-bound flotilla past the Israeli blockade, according to a statement posted on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.
“Greece reiterates its willingness and proposes to undertake the task of transporting the humanitarian aid, with Greek vessels or other appropriate means, through the existing channels as requested by the secretary-general of the United Nations,” according to the statement.
As a result, Greece will coordinated with the U.N. to try and make the “mission feasible on behalf of our country,” added the statement.
On Friday, Greek authorities stopped the flotilla from sailing out one of its ports and the next day, they arrested the captain of U.S. vessel Audacity of Hope, according to the Greece-based Ekathimerin news agency.
Last May, activists attempted to sail a flotilla into Gaza, which was stopped by Israeli commandos. Nine passengers aboard the largest of the ships were killed in the incident.
The Israel defense forces, in a statement posted on Sunday, reiterated past claims that the flotilla has financial links to the militant group Hamas, which is considered a terrorists organization by Israel and the United States.
“Three Islamic charity funds from the Hamas-affiliated Charity Coalition directly fund Hamas and some of the organizations connected to the 2011 Gaza flotilla,” the statement said.