Amid cheers, tears, and chants of “Free Palestine,” a fleet of 20 civilian vessels set sail from the Port of Barcelona on Sunday, carrying over 300 activists bound for Gaza. The Global Sumud Flotilla, the largest maritime solidarity mission in over a decade, departed just after noon, seeking to break Israel’s 17-year blockade on the besieged Palestinian enclave.
Thousands gathered at the Barcelona port on Sunday to see the flotilla off, waving Palestinian flags and chanting solidarity slogans. Among those in attendance were Spanish lawmakers, musicians, and human rights groups.
On board were figures known not just for their names but for their defiance: Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, actor Liam Cunningham, Oscar-winner Susan Sarandon, former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, Irish novelist Naoise Dolan, and Egyptian-Spanish filmmaker and writer Basel Ramsis, a contributor to Al Manassa. The convoy carried not only humanitarian aid, medicine, food, clean water, but also a message that Gaza is not forgotten.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, organized by a coalition of international grassroots groups, aims to establish a humanitarian corridor to the besieged enclave and denounce the ongoing genocide against Palestinians.
The participants reflect a mosaic of solidarity from countries such as Brazil, Morocco, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Malaysia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, Colombia, and the Netherlands. Organizers describe participants as a coalition of “grassroots organizers, seafarers, doctors, artists, clergy, lawyers, and solidarity activists” from over 40 countries.
Among the participants are Muslim feminist activist from Indonesia in addition to three women from Mallorca—Lucía Muñoz, Alejandra Martínez, and Reyes Rigo—who crowdfunded their way onto one of the boats.
“What sort of world have we slid into where children are making their own funeral arrangements?” Cunningham, known for his role in “Game of Thrones”, asked during a press conference at the port. He played a video of a young girl named Fatima singing while preparing for her burial. She died days later.
Greta Thunberg, who joined the flotilla, marking her second attempt this year to break the blockade and deliver humanitarian aid the crowd before the departure of the flotilla said that “this is a mission to challenge the extremely violent, business-as-usual international system that is failing to uphold international law.”
Israeli officials prepare to block the flotilla
As the flotilla made its way across the Mediterranean, Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir presented a plan to intercept and detain the participants.
The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.
Ben-Gvir labeled the flotilla a “direct challenge to Israeli sovereignty” and alleged it provided “material support to Hamas.” He proposed imprisoning participants in Ketziot and Damon prisons, which are typically reserved for Palestinian detainees.
Activists are expected to face prolonged detention, marking a shift from previous practice where detainees were typically released after short overnight stays. According to Israeli officials, detainees will be denied access to amenities such as television, radio, and dietary accommodations, as part of what authorities described as a message intended to deter what they characterize as support for terrorism.
“The proposed plan lays out measures, reinforcing Israel's unwavering position in safeguarding its borders and ensuring national security,” Ben-Gvir said.
The flotilla is backed by a network of international organizations: the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, Global Gaza Movement, Maghreb Sumud Convoy, and Malaysia-based Sumud Nusantara. Their joint effort emerged from a summit held in Tunisia in July, where civil society groups pledged to launch a coordinated maritime response to the illegal siege of Gaza.
The coalition has described the flotilla as a nonviolent mission to deliver food, medicine, and clean water to over 2 million Palestinians facing famine in the wake of Israel’s ongoing blockade and Israeli military operations.
Around 70 boats are expected to take part in the final leg of the journey, flotilla spokesperson Saif Abukeshek told Spanish public television after the departure. The fleet could reach Gaza around Sept. 14 or 15, he added.
A legacy of resistance at sea
This is not the first time international activists have attempted to breach the naval blockade imposed on Gaza since 2007. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition first drew global attention in 2010 when the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara was raided by Israeli commandos, killing ten civilians and injuring dozens.
Since then, six other maritime attempts have been launched. Most were intercepted by Israeli forces; participants were detained and deported.
Just this past May, Israeli drones attacked the vessel Conscience near Malta. In June, the ship Madleen was seized en route from Sicily to Gaza, and its crew was arrested and expelled. The Handala, another humanitarian boat, met a similar fate.
On Monday, Irish novelist Naoise Dolan published a first-person account in The Guardian, announcing her participation in the flotilla. “My government can watch the mass murder in Gaza and continue with business as usual. I can’t; that’s why I’m sailing with the Global Sumud Flotilla… If we reach our destination, we will break a siege that our so-called leaders haven’t dared to even sanction. If we fail, at least our own response to a genocide will not have been to keep regulating the perpetrator’s war bonds,” she wrote.
