Game of Thrones Star Liam Cunningham Joins Gaza Flotilla Stunt

Irish actor Liam Cunningham, renowned for his role as Davos Seaworth in HBO’s Game of Thrones, has joined a flotilla of activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, aiming to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and challenge Israel’s naval blockade. Though such flotillas in the past have largely been viewed as a publicity stunt and none have managed to reach Gaza or cause any change in the situation there, proving their actions mute.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, which set sail from Barcelona on August 31, 2025, seeks to “open a humanitarian corridor and end the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people,” according to organizers. The flotilla, comprising around 20 vessels and activists from various countries, including former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau and European lawmakers, is expected to reach Gaza by mid-September. Brazilian activist Thiago Avila described it as “the largest solidarity mission in history, with more people and more boats than all previous attempts combined.” The effort follows two intercepted missions in June and July 2025, including the yacht Madleen, which Cunningham supported but did not board, and the Handala, both detained by Israeli naval forces.

Cunningham’s involvement, alongside his role in the upcoming film Palestine 36, which represents Palestinians at the 2026 Oscars and focuses on resistance to the British Mandate, has drawn scrutiny. Critics argue that high-profile figures like Cunningham and Thunberg, by aligning with pro-Palestinian causes, amplify Hamas’s narrative while overlooking the complexities of the war. Israel maintains that its blockade, in place since Hamas’s 2007 takeover of Gaza, targets the terrorist group’s arms smuggling, not civilians. The October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, which killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians, and abducted over 250, including Ilan Weiss, whose body was recently recovered, demonstrated the ongoing security threat. Yet, celebrities often frame Israel’s actions as indiscriminate, ignoring Hamas’s use of civilian infrastructure and its rejection of ceasefire proposals.

The surge in supposed celebrity activism, including endorsements from figures like Dua Lipa and Benedict Cumberbatch, has fuelled accusations of antisemitism, as their rhetoric often echoes Hamas propaganda, dismissing Israel’s defensive measures. The United Nations has warned of famine in Gaza, yet multiples reports show otherwise and disprove numerous "starvation" cases that were falsely reported to fuel anti Israel rhetoric. Cunningham’s vocal criticism of Western governments and his call for naval protection for the flotilla, stating, “The fact that the flotilla is happening is an indication of the world’s failure to uphold international law,” reflect a one-sided narrative that again fuels anti-Israel sentiment while ignoring the facts on the ground.