UAE Resident Captaining Gaza Aid Flotilla Boat Tells Of Attacks, Dangers On Board

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

A UAE resident who is captaining one of the vessels of the Global Sumud flotilla to Gaza said that no one was injured during the attack on the flotilla on Thursday night. Dr Zaheera Soomar, a mother of three, set sail from Tunisia on Sunday, September 14, alongside hundreds of others in an attempt to deliver aid to Gaza.

“We were attacked multiple times, and 11 boats were struck with different devices and drones,” she said.“Some were hit by Sulphur drones, which caused a distinct smell and is dangerous to touch. Some were hit on their masts. Alhamdulillah no boat had any major damage, and nobody was injured.

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She added that the group was trying to fix the damages and remain“steadfast” in their mission to reach Gaza. The flotilla is now 600 nautical miles away from Gaza and aims to deliver aid to those who live in the city.

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Call to join

The South African Canadian activist shared with Khaleej Times how she felt a deep“calling” to join the flotilla , a decision so profound that she prepared her will before setting out. She described it as one of the hardest choices she's ever had to make.

“I got called and asked to be part of the flotilla because I have been an active and outspoken human rights activist for many years and initially, I wasn't sure if I would join because I have a responsibility towards my family and my kids,” she said, speaking from her vessel. She is a mother to three children ranging between the ages of 21 to 7.

“I sat with it for a few days, and I felt this calling from Allah. It was bigger than me and it was about making a difference. We have reached a point where nothing we are doing is truly stopping the genocide.”

The Global Sumud flotilla is one of the largest civilian-led maritime convoy in history, comprising over 50 vessels of varying sizes, carrying thousands of people from at least 47 countries. These vessels departed from multiple ports around the world and will converge in Gaza.

Those traveling on the flotilla include Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, French politician Emma Fourreau and American actor Susan Sarandon among others. Some of the participants were arrested or detained by Israel for being part of other freedom flotillas aiming to break the Gaza blockade earlier this year in May, June and July. In 2010, Israel boarded a similar flotilla and killed 10 activists.

Zaheera said that she had a lot of mixed feelings at the moment.“I am not scared now but things get real, really fast,” she said, adding that they had faced rough weather several times.“We will be going into much more temperamental weather so the ride will be difficult. We have seen drones, we know we are being watched, and we know there could be more attacks. One does fear about their lives, but we also feel motivated and strong."

For the last ten years, Zaheera has worked as a consultant for the public sector, advising governments on policies mainly regarding refugees and eliminating poverty. She is also a professor teaching ethics and change management in various universities in the UAE.

After living in Canada for 7.5 years, she moved to Sharjah earlier this year. She now divides her time between Canada and UAE.

Weeks of training

According to Zaheera, the crew had to undergo several weeks of intense preparations for the flotilla.“We did a lot of legal, media, safety and security training,” she said.“We also had to get our legal things sorted like getting our will in place, having difficult conversations with our families and knowing who to call in different possible scenarios. For example, what happens if you die, what happens if you get long-term jail, who gets notified, who do you call. So, a lot of work went into preparing psychologically and emotionally for this mission.”

She explained that the various nationalities were spread across the vessels for safety reasons and that each participant was only allowed to bring 10 kilograms of things on board.“Everybody has two or three sets of clothes that they wash using sea water and then hang out to dry on the boat,” she said.

“We have water and food resources on board but they are scarce so we have to ration it because we don't know how long we will be at sea. The things on board are just critical items.”

If everything goes to plan, the flotilla is expected to arrive in Gaza in the next few days.“We are traveling as a fleet so when things come up, we deal with it together,” she said.“We are expecting bad weather soon. The storms could delay us.”

Being boat manager

As a manager for her boat, Zaheera said it was a huge learning curve for her.“I work very closely with the captain and look after the boat,” she said.“I have to make sure the people are safe and prepared. I have to put together a routine every day about who does what task. I do a daily morning briefing to give them an update from the global team.”

She said she also does safety drills every day to make sure her team is prepared for whatever scenarios could occur.“Interception is a very likely scenario,” she said.“My job as a boat manager is to prepare my team as much as I can every single day so that when something does happen, we know what to do. So, my focus is to get everybody in the right mindset.”

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