Global Flotilla Leaves Barcelona In Largest Attempt To Break Gaza Blockade

A flotilla carrying humanitarian aid and hundreds of international activists has left the Spanish city of Barcelona in the largest effort yet to break Israel’s 18-year naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The mission, called the Global Sumud Flotilla, with “sumud” meaning perseverance in Arabic, set sail on Sunday afternoon, with boats beginning to move out of port at around 3:30pm local time. Organisers said the fleet, which already includes about 20 boats and delegations from 44 countries, will grow in the coming days as more ships depart from Italy, Greece and Tunisia. Around 70 boats are expected to join for the final stretch, aiming to reach Gaza by September 14 or 15.

The flotilla is loaded with food, water and medicine, and activists on board are calling for a safe passage to deliver the supplies and the creation of a humanitarian sea corridor. The departure comes at a time when the United Nations and food experts have declared famine in Gaza City, warning that nearly half a million people across the strip are suffering from catastrophic hunger.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 63,000 people have been killed during the nearly 23-month war, and at least 332 Palestinians, including 124 children, have died of malnutrition.

Supporters crowded the Barcelona pier to see the convoy off. Many wore kaffiyehs and waved Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine!” and “Boycott Israel!” The flotilla includes a mix of vessels, from industrial-looking ships to small wooden sailboats and old yachts. One ship, the Sirus, is more than 100 years old.

Video Credits: WLA/YouTube

Mauricio Morales, reporting from the boat Familia, described the farewell as overwhelming, saying that many of the passengers were strangers but each had an important role to play.

The voyage includes well-known figures such as Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, actor Liam Cunningham, and Portuguese lawmaker Mariana Mortagua. At a press briefing before departure, Cunningham showed a video of a young Palestinian girl named Fatima, who had prepared her own funeral shortly before she died four days later.

Thunberg criticised governments and institutions for failing to uphold international law and stop genocide. She said Israel was intentionally denying Palestinians basic needs and pointed to repeated interceptions of aid ships in international waters.

Abukeshek, the flotilla’s spokesperson, told Spanish television that the story was about how Palestinians were being denied food and medicine. He said Palestinians were being starved and bombed daily, and accused Israel of trying to erase the population.

Organisers emphasised that the mission is independent, not linked to any government or political party. They said it serves as both a humanitarian effort and a global protest against international silence.

Video Credits: AP News/YouTube

The UK-based International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza called the flotilla a message that “the will of the people cannot be besieged.” Committee chairman Zaher Birawi described it as a humanitarian act of resistance meant to expose occupation crimes and break what he called a wall of silence and complicity.

Many on board said they felt a personal duty to take part. Morales explained that leaving his children behind was difficult, but documenting what was happening in Palestine was, in his view, a small sacrifice compared to what Palestinians endure daily.

This year alone, three earlier attempts to reach Gaza by sea were blocked by Israel. In May, the ship Conscience was attacked by drones after leaving Malta. In June, the ship Madleen, carrying Thunberg and 11 others, was intercepted and she was deported. In July, the vessel Handala was stopped, its cargo of food and baby formula seized, and 21 activists and journalists detained.

The Global Sumud Flotilla is the fourth attempt in 2024, and organisers insist it will be the largest to date.

An Israeli official said on Saturday that aid deliveries to parts of northern Gaza would soon be slowed or halted as the military expands its operations in Gaza City. The area was recently declared a combat zone. Israel has enforced its naval blockade of Gaza since 2007, saying it is necessary to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas.

The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants launched an attack in southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and taking 251 hostages.

References: CNN, Aljazeera

Source: Maritime Shipping News