In previous voyages , Free Gaza vessels carried 140 passengers in total . In this flotilla , over 600 activists were on board the Mavi Marmara alone . There were 663 passengers from 37 nations on board the flotilla . Notable people aboard the flotilla included former UN Assistant Secretary-General Denis Halliday , former U.S. Ambassador to Mauritania Edward Peck , and survivor Joe Meadors . Israeli-Arab member of Knesset Haneen Zoubi , leader of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel Raed Salah , Swedish novelist Henning Mankell , convicted hijacker Erdinç Tekir , who participated in the Black Sea hijacking , and a number of parliamentarians from European and Arab national legislatures and the European Parliament
Black Sea hijacking
Black Sea hostage crisis
Gaza Freedom Flotilla