THE ‘GLOBAL SUMUD Flotilla’ is bound for Gaza, aiming to open up a maritime corridor and deliver life-saving aid to Palestinians in Gaza. Shoals of vessels, carrying everyday people in delegations from 44 countries, are sailing from Barcelona, Tunisia, Sicily and Greece.

I am joining a group of practising lawyers and legal academics on board an Independent Legal Support boat named ‘Shireen’ after Jerusalem-born, journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who reported on the injustices experienced by Palestinians for 25 years before being killed in May 2022.

Our role is to provide real-time communiqués as the flotilla carries out this historic, deeply symbolic voyage as well as to monitor and create a database of any breaches of the rights of participants. If there are interceptions – Israel should be held to account. The Independent Legal Support Boat will not attempt to break the siege, we will bear witness from international waters.

Israel has completely halted the delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza as of 2 March 2025. In May, Israel established the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in partnership with the US. The privatisation of the delivery of aid is contrary to International Humanitarian Law (IHL). IHL presumes relief actions are carried out either by states or by impartial humanitarian organisations (Additional Protocol I, Article 70, Fourth Geneva Convention, Articles 59 & 60). GHF represents the construction of an aid model that seems deliberately designed to sideline these principles.

GHF sites are reminiscent of the Hunger Games. As of 15 August, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reports that of the 1,760 Palestinians killed since 27 May while seeking food, 994 were killed in the vicinity of GHF sites. While as of 22 August 2025, the World Health Organisation officially confirmed that 500,000 Palestinians are now suffering from a person-made famine and are at risk of death

I am sailing because as a lawyer, I cannot stand idly by while the international legal system is decimated.

‘Law’ itself is a web of customs, treaties, norms, pieces of legislation, Conventions. It is a notoriously nebulous paradigm.

International Law is the rules that govern how States interact. Human rights are a way of shielding against overreach of the State on our fundamental freedoms. The Rule of Law exists to ensure that law prevails, and no one is above it. Right now – both are under severe threat.

Law, at least in theory, is premised on the foundation of equality – that it must be applied without ‘fear or favour’ to use the language of Ireland’s constitution, Bunreacht........

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