At sea, Oct 03 (V7N) – Bangladeshi photographer and human rights activist Shahidul Alam said in a video posted to Facebook on Friday that he and others aboard a new flotilla route remain committed to reaching Gaza after the Global Sumud Flotilla was detained by Israeli forces.

Alam — who says his vessel is the largest remaining ship on the alternate route — warned that limited communications make independent verification difficult, and promised to continue posting updates “in a timely manner.” He said eight smaller boats crossed with them earlier and that those nine vessels are currently free.

Key points from Alam’s message:

  • Mission and intent: Alam said his ship is not primarily carrying relief supplies; rather, the aim is to break what he described as an “illegal blockade” of Gaza. “We are not going for relief. We are going with the aim of breaking an illegal blockade,” he said.

  • Numbers on board: He said 96 people are aboard their ship, of whom 82 are media and medical professionals, along with organizers, flotilla coordinators and crew.

  • Resolve under threat: Alam acknowledged the risk — “This shows that the outrage will fall on us. But we are absolutely committed, we will go all the way to Gaza and will not accept any obstacles.”

  • Conditions at sea: He described a recent storm that affected the flotilla, saying the sea was calmer the morning of his video and that he had recovered after feeling unwell the previous day.

  • Allegations of killings: Alam claimed “14 doctors from Médecins Sans Frontières (MAF) were killed last night” and said he would watch for how France responds; he framed the moment as one for “fighting” rather than mere words. (This was presented by Alam in his video; independent verification was not provided in his message.)

  • Composition of passengers: He said many journalists and doctors are aboard, and framed their presence as a form of protest and witness: “We will protest against all the people Israel has killed and all the journalists and doctors it has killed.”

Alam reiterated that limited information flow at sea makes full verification difficult and asked supporters to follow his updates on social media.

END/SMA/AJ