STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Huddled in the dark while drone fire filled the sky above her ship headed for Gaza, St. George resident Leila Hegazy didn’t know if she was about to die.

Was this the end? Would her mission to bring food and medicine to the civilians trapped in the war-torn territory be successful?

“The explosions were very loud. We heard about 11, some people heard up to 14. It depends on where you were at the time. Huddled in the dark, not sure if you’re about to die is scary,” said Hegazy, a teacher, content creator and musician.

“All of us on these boats know what the risks are. And this was just a little taste of the way Palestinians live under constant fear of bombardment,” she said.

Her ship, The Alma, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which is made up of a fleet of s

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