Mavi Marmara flotilla arrives at Canakkale
Gaza flotilla craft welcomed by local people.
CANAKKALE
The Mavi Marmara flotilla, which departed on Sunday from Turkey’s northern Samsun province to commemorate the Canakkale Victory Day, has arrived at Gallipoli.
Having 350 passengers, chosen among 700 applications, the flotilla was welcomed by local people and officials.
"We want to feel the Canakkale spirit and commemorate our beloved martyrs," said Umut Karakas, an official from the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party.
Turkey commemorates Canakkale Victory Day and Martyrs' Day on March 18. It marks the 1915 battle that took place in the Dardanelles strait in Canakkale province's district of Gallipoli (Gelibolu in Turkish), which marked a turnaround in the fortunes of the Turks during the First World War.
According to Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) representative Omer Idris Akdin, the flotilla defended shared values of all humanity that “stands against violence and cruelty."
In May 2010, Israeli commandos killed eight Turkish nationals and an American of Turkish origin in a raid on the Mavi Marmara, which was part of the “Gaza Freedom Flotilla.” Another person died in a Turkish hospital in 2014 after being in coma for almost four years.
The convoy was led and established by the IHH and was carrying humanitarian aid and construction materials for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which was under an Israeli blockade at the time.
