Harbourside to Gaza: Bristol answers the Freedom Flotilla’s call
Top photo: The Kate moored in Bristol’s Harbourside. CrGhazala Manzoor
Content warning: This article includes descriptions of physical and sexual violence
On Monday 17 August at 8 am, the Kate of the Freedom Flotilla launched its voyage from Bristol harbourside to break the siege on Gaza.
Onboard, 12 activists will be hoping to bring everything from prosthetics to medicine to Palestine.
At the time of writing, official figures estimate roughly 73,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since October 7th 2023, including tens of thousands of women and children. 82% of all structures in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed.
Since the so-called ceasefire of October 2025, Israeli forces have killed more than 1250 Palestinians in Gaza. Despite increases in aid, upwards of two-thirds of Gaza’s population may face acute hunger by the end of the year.
The Cable headed down to Hannover Quay over the weekend to hear from the Kate’s crew and supporters about their effort to provide aid to the people of Gaza amid dire conditions.
‘Expecting to be intercepted’
The crew of the Kate are an assortment of activists from all walks of life.
Every time we get close to Gaza, we get videos of thousands of Palestinians there to welcome us… The whole gesture of taking this necessary risk really does enhance the morale of the Palestinian people.
Frank Romano
At the helm, leading the expedition, is retired lawyer and actor Frank Romano.
This Journey will be Frank’s fifth attempt to deliver aid to the occupied territory. All his previous trips have been intercepted and many sabotaged by Israeli drone attacks along the way.
This trip is unlikely to be any different. “We are expecting to be intercepted, put into a prison ship, and we’re expecting violent treatment,” he says.
Frank paints a picture of brutal treatment in Israeli detention.
He says that in the past, treatment was rough, but nothing compared to what he experienced on the last flotilla. Captured flotilla crew would be forced to sleep in cold shipping containers on mattresses doused with water and subjected to extreme violence as they were transferred to Ktzi’ot Prison.
Abuse of detainees
Ktzi’ot is Israel’s largest detention facility, located in the Negev desert. Rights groups have documented multiple cases of abuse and torture of detainees held there.
“Because we resisted, they broke ribs, they broke noses,” Frank says of the ordeal. “They shot us at point-blank range, and they raped a girl in a container”. Similar accusations of physical and sexual violence have been made by several Flotilla activists who were detained by Israeli authorities.
Since 2010, every single boat that has attempted to break the siege of Gaza has been intercepted by the Israeli Navy.
With the threat of this level of violence, one might question why activists keep undergoing the treacherous journey, facing inevitable interception and ruthless treatment in Israeli detention.
For Frank, the mission is not purely a practical attempt to provide desperately needed food supplies, medicine and prostheses they carry. It’s an attempt to let Gazans know they are not alone.
His voice breaks slightly as he tells us: “Every time we get close to Gaza, we get videos of thousands of Palestinians there to welcome us… The whole gesture of taking this necessary risk really does enhance the morale of the Palestinian people”.
Many on board are willing to risk extreme violence due to the scale of suffering in Gaza.
‘Necessary Risk’
Ashraf, a refugee from Gaza, sat on the side of the dock and told me what this movement means to him and the people of Gaza.
He told me that he had once been very successful in Gaza: he worked for the Ministry of Education and imported goods from China. “[I had] a huge house, three floors, a couple of olive farms… I had a car, I had everything a man dreams of, but everything is gone”.
Despite losing everything due to the genocide, and having endured famine in the north of Gaza, Ashraf spoke of how the global pro-Palestine movement had brought him light in the darkest of times.
Ashraf chooses to continue to have faith that the Flotilla can reach its destination and that, with enough pressure, the Israeli government can be forced to capitulate to international pressure.
As we pack up for the day Frank speaks on stage, encapsulating the ethos at the heart of the mission: “If we cannot fight for the ones we love, we do not exist”.
In a world of apathy and disconnection, on the dockside there is a palpable feeling of hope, anger and belief that the actions of the few might in some small way help the lives of the many Gazans still suffering.
Find out how to donate to the Freedom Flotilla Fundraiser.
Independent. Investigative. Indispensable.
Investigative journalism strengthens democracy – it’s a necessity, not a luxury.
The Cable is Bristol’s independent, investigative newsroom. Owned and steered by more than 2,600 members, we produce award-winning journalism that digs deep into what’s happening in Bristol.
We are on a mission to become sustainable, and to do that we need more members. Will you help us get there?
Join the Cable today
