The Gaza-bound vessel Conscience is expected to reach Israel’s “Red Zone” early tomorrow morning, renowned Bangladeshi photographer Shahidul Alam wrote in a Facebook post on Monday.
“We have not stopped,” he wrote, adding that the fleet had fallen slightly behind schedule as it decided to move together with the smaller and slower boats named Thousand Madeleens. “Still, we are progressing much faster than the Sumud Flotilla,” he noted.
According to Shahidul, “We faced a temporary halt due to strong winds and a major storm. Now the slower vessels have rejoined us, and we are about 70 nautical miles away from the Red Zone.”
He reminded readers that “It was from this very area that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) had previously ‘illegally’ intercepted flotillas.”
Shahidul said they are currently on board the ship Conscience, which is part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC). Earlier, vessels from the Sumud Flotilla had attempted to break the blockade on Palestine, but Israeli forces seized those ships, he mentioned.
“The Conscience is mainly crewed by journalists and doctors—two professional groups that Israel has systematically targeted,” Shahidul added.
“Both groups are issuing a joint statement challenging the so-called ‘legitimacy’ of those killings and Israel’s ‘illegal blockade’ on Gaza.”
Citing information from Wikipedia he wrote, “Morning of 7 October 2025—exactly two years ago today, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing 1,195 Israelis and foreign nationals, including 815 civilians.
“Another 251 were taken hostage, pressuring Israel to negotiate for the release of Palestinian prisoners.” He further noted that “Since Israel’s retaliatory assault, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza—nearly half of them women and children—and over 169,000 have been injured.
“A Lancet study published in June 2024 indicated that the direct death toll from traumatic injuries was underestimated, suggesting that the inclusion of ‘indirect’ deaths could make the actual figure much higher.”
