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Gaza aid flotilla set to head east from Greece despite Israeli warnings

Italy and Spain send naval ships to assist European citizens on boats

The National

September 26, 2025

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An international aid flotilla was set to leave Greek waters and head towards Gaza on Friday, organisers said, defying warnings from Israel that it would use any means to block the boats' access to the war-torn enclave.

The Global Sumud Flotilla is using about 50 civilian boats to try to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza, an initiative that Israel strongly opposes.

Israel said the flotilla would not pass and that the project will only help Hamas.

Lawyers, parliamentarians and activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, are on board. The flotilla's passage across the Mediterranean has raised international tensions, especially after it said it was attacked by drones this week.

No one was hurt, but Italy and Spain have sent naval ships to provide assistance to their and other European citizens on the flotilla.

Greece said it would guarantee the safe sailing of the flotilla off the country. However, Friday's launch will take the boats back into international waters in the eastern Mediterranean. Organisers said the flotilla aims to arrive at its destination early next week.

This week, the crew said they had heard explosions and seen drones trying to strike some of their boats off the coast of Greece. There have been several such incidents since the flotilla set sail from Barcelona on August 31.

Italy's Defence Minister Guido Crosetto condemned the attack on the activists, which include Italian citizens. After talks with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, he ordered the frigate Fasan to sail to the area for “possible rescue operations”.

Italy is not a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause, and has so far declined to join Britain, France and others in recognising the state of Palestine. But Ms Meloni's government was under pressure this week as Italians held a nationwide day of strikes and marches against the war in Gaza.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Spain will also send a patrol vessel to help the flotilla, or carry out a rescue.

Israel has come under heavy international pressure over its war in Gaza, which has sparked a humanitarian crisis in the territory.

Last month, a body backed by the UN officially declared famine in parts of the enclave. UN investigators this month also accused Israel of committing “genocide” and Israeli leaders of incitement.

With Reuters

Brief scores:

QPR 0

Watford 1

Capoue 45' 1

21 Lessons for the 21st Century

Yuval Noah Harari, Jonathan Cape
 

History's medical milestones

1799 - First small pox vaccine administered

1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery

1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases

1895 - Discovery of x-rays

1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time

1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin

1953 - Structure of DNA discovered

1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place 

1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill

1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.

1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Guns N’ Roses’s last gig before Abu Dhabi was in Hong Kong on November 21. We were there – and here’s what they played, and in what order. You were warned.

  • It’s So Easy
  • Mr Brownstone
  • Chinese Democracy
  • Welcome to the Jungle
  • Double Talkin’ Jive
  • Better
  • Estranged
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  • You Could Be Mine
  • Shadow of Your Love
  • Attitude (Misfits cover)
  • Civil War
  • Coma
  • Love Theme from The Godfather (movie cover)
  • Sweet Child O’ Mine
  • Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
  • Wish You Were Here (instrumental Pink Floyd cover)
  • November Rain
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  • Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
  • Nightrain

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Updated: September 26, 2025, 9:31 AM