The Egyptian branch of the Sumud lotilla announced today it has received its first boat, fully equipped to join the mission across the Mediterranean to break Israel’s blockade on Gaza. Organizers confirmed the readiness to participate in the Global Sumud Flotilla, which set sail last week from Barcelona.
Hossam Mahmoud, spokesperson for the Egyptian Sumud Flotilla committee, told Al Manassa that the donor was an Egyptian national—“an ordinary man with a boat who insisted on joining the flotilla.” He added that the committee is withholding the donor’s identity “for his personal safety.”
This marks the first donation publicly announced by the committee. Earlier, on September 7, it declared readiness to join the flotilla, appealing for in-kind contributions “from boats to every logistical need.”
The committee also called on captains, ship engineers, sailors, and other maritime professionals—along with anyone interested—to register through a form posted on its Facebook page, “Egyptian Sumud Flotilla to Break the Siege on Gaza.”
In the same statement, 55 Egyptian activists pledged to join the global mission. They described Egypt’s participation as “a national and moral duty that cannot be delayed, one that reinforces its historic role in supporting the Palestinian people.”
Asked whether Egyptian authorities had responded to the committee’s requests for authorization, Mahmoud said the group had submitted seven formal applications on Tuesday through its lawyer, Mamdouh Gamal. The requests went to the presidency, the cabinet, the foreign, interior, and transport ministries, as well as the ports of Alexandria and Damietta.
The committee also sent formal invitations to the heads of Egypt’s professional syndicates—including journalists, lawyers, doctors, and engineers—alongside Grand Imam Ahmed Al-Tayyeb of Al-Azhar and Pope Tawadros II of the Coptic Orthodox Church. The aim, Mahmoud said, is to broaden the social base of the mission.
For now, the committee says, the official response has been silence. Since canceling a planned press conference on Monday evening, organizers have “received no positive indication about the flotilla’s approval.” At the time, they cited only “circumstances beyond its control.”
The Global Sumud Flotilla left Barcelona last week with more than 300 activists, arriving in Tunisia on Sunday. More boats from Italy and Greece are expected to join soon. The flotilla follows earlier missions, including the Mavi Marmara in 2010 and recent attacks on the Conscience, Madleen, and Handala.
Israel’s national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has publicly vowed to intercept the flotilla and detain its passengers under strenuous conditions—describing Sumud as a threat to Israel’s sovereignty and national security.
