Organisers of the Global Sumud Flotilla report that over 70 vessels and 1,000 participants worldwide will join the event.
On Wednesday, multiple boats loaded with activists and humanitarian aid destined for Palestinians in Gaza departed from Barcelona, a northeastern city in Spain.
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According to organisers of the Global Sumud Flotilla, the campaign involves more than 70 boats and 1,000 individuals from various countries. Activists describe it as the largest civilian-led movement opposing Israel’s policies in Palestinian territories.
Approximately 40 boats departed from Barcelona, while other vessels will merge with the flotilla at ports along the Mediterranean coast as they head east, explained Thiago Ávila, one of the flotilla’s coordinators, during a press conference held Sunday at the symbolic send-off.
Inclement weather conditions delayed the originally scheduled departure on 12 April, forcing organisers to postpone the launch.
With global focus shifting toward the conflict in Iran, activists expect that this mission will renew international attention to the situation faced by Palestinians in Gaza.
«The decision to sail arises from governments’ failures,» stated Saif Abukeshek, a Palestinian activist and member of the flotilla’s international steering committee.
«They aim to create a society rendered powerless, unable to act or organise,» Abukeshek commented on Sunday. «Our refusal is to become such a society.»
Last week marked six months since a ceasefire halted the fiercest clashes between Israeli troops and Hamas militants. Despite this, Israeli airstrikes have resulted in over 700 fatalities in the half-year following the ceasefire, as reported by Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Many issues remain unresolved, including disarming Hamas, ending its control, deploying an international stabilisation force, and initiating extensive reconstruction efforts.
Nearly 2 million Gaza inhabitants continue to live amidst destruction, facing shortages of food and medicine, with only limited aid permitted through a single border crossing controlled by Israel.
Since Hamas assumed power in 2007 by overthrowing rival Palestinian factions, Israel and Egypt have implemented varying levels of blockade on Gaza.
Israel justifies this blockade as essential to prevent Hamas from bringing in weapons, whereas critics view it as collective punishment imposed on Gaza’s population.
The recent Global Sumud Flotilla initiative follows less than a year after a previous attempt was intercepted by Israeli forces.
In the previous autumn, dozens of boats approached Gaza, including one crossing the 12-nautical-mile boundary from international to territorial waters near Gaza; however, all were ultimately detained, seized, or turned back.
Last year’s participants, such as Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, faced arrest, imprisonment, and deportation by Israel.
Some activists alleged mistreatment during detention, allegations that Israeli authorities denied.
Their maritime interception was broadcast live via onboard cameras, provoking global protests at the time.
However, interest in Gaza has since diminished, as global attention shifted to the ongoing Iran conflict destabilising the Middle East and disrupting world markets.
Organisers anticipate this expedition will refocus global awareness on the living conditions of Palestinians in Gaza, devastated by the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Since the war began with the Hamas-led incursion into southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages, more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed.
Among the flotilla’s supporters are Greenpeace Spain and the migrant rescue NGO Open Arms, which are contributing two of their large vessels to accompany the smaller boats forming the fleet.
«The motivation to sail stems from the people of Gaza’s right to live, breathe, and prosper on their own land,» declared Eva Saldaña, head of Greenpeace Spain.
Additional sources • AP