A Walsall man aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying aid into Gaza has spoken about life on board the mission.
Sijaad Hussain, from the Chuckery, applied to join the movement where dozens of vessels will travel through the Mediterranean to deliver food and medication into Gaza.
The 55-year-old accountant felt he had no choice but to join the flotilla when he heard about the plans.
When asked if he’s fearing for his safety, or even death, Sijaad said: “We’re a peaceful movement on a peaceful humanitarian mission. So it should not be the case that we should fear death.
“With what’s happening in Gaza, if everyone starts thinking about themselves, then who is going to think about the people in Gaza, Sudan, or Yemen?”
When he shared the news of being accepted onto the flotilla, Sijaad said many people asked him how they could also join.
But the dad-of-three said his family were in two minds about him going.
Sijaad said: “Doctors, professionals, lay people, single mothers, they were asking me how they can do it, because so many people can see what’s happening. They wanted to join.
“My family is fifty fifty. Obviously no family member will want their loved one or friend to go somewhere they might get killed. But they know it’s something that has to be done.”
So far Sijaad and his team aboard the boat have travelled from Barcelona to Mahon in Menorca, and from Mahon to Bizerte in Tunisia.
Sijaad said thousands of people cheered as the boats set sail from the port in Barcelona, and locals in Mahon carried out repairs to boats damaged by a storm for free.
Day-to-day they carry out emergency safety drills in the event that anyone goes over board or there’s a fire.
He added: “We’ve got five nationalities on here, old and young, they’re amazing people. Everyone just rolls up their sleeves and gets the job done.
“Some have sailing experience and some haven’t, but we share a passion for what’s happening in Gaza.
“People just want to get there now, we’ve got food and medical equipment, and any days that go by could mean lives are lost in Gaza.”
Sijaad is a member of the Walsall Kobar Friendship Association, a local action group partnered with the Palestinian village in the West Bank. He said the support from his home town has been overwhelming.
Sijaad added: “We’ve been carrying the voice for Palestine for so many years. I mean, I’ve been involved for at least 25.
“We’ve done the London protests, the local protests. We take two coaches every month to the protest from Walsall, and at its peak, I think it was in October or November, we took 14 coaches from Walsall for the Million March.
“When people ask me where I’m from, I say ‘Walsall’, they say ‘where?’, and this just puts that small town on the map.
“People from Walsall have supported me significantly in this. We need to take that movement forward and we need our government to step up.”
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