Posted on August 31, 2025
The Global Sumud Flotilla has left the Spanish port city of Barcelona, with the declared objective of “breaking the illegal seat of Gaza of Israel”.
The boats began to leave the port around 3:30 p.m. Sunday, with crowds of activists, support staff and sympathizers there to see the crews.
Mauricio Morales, postponing on board the Familia, one of the flotilla boats, said: “The participation rate was overwhelming, I think no one expected so many people to sign goodbye to volunteers. The spirits are high, people are foreigners in this particular boat, but (each has) a special role. ”
A few hours before their departure, the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg spoke out against the Israeli genocide of the Palestinians, just like a number of other large -scale people who were sailing with the flotilla.
“Israel (is) very clear about their genocidal intention. They want to erase the Palestinian nation. They want to take control of the Gaza Strip,” said Thunberg, hitting politicians and governments “not having respected international law”.
“They fail to do their duties most fundamental and legal to prevent a genocide, to stop their complicity and their support for … the occupation and genocide of the Palestinians,” she said.
Saif Abukeshek, a Palestinian activist based in Barcelona, denounced the ethnic cleaning of Israel of the Palestinians in Gaza. “The Palestinians are hungry to death because there is a government that intentionally dies to these people to death,” he said.
“There is a government that intentionally bombes Palestinian children and families every day in order to kill as many Palestinians as possible,” added Abukeshk. “When you bomb the hospitals, when you bomb the schools, when bombing the educational centers, your main objective is essentially to … put an end to the presence of the Palestinian population.”
The launch of the flotilla comes from after the United Nations declared this month in Gaza this month, while Israel has doubled on its efforts to grasp the city of Gaza and forcibly move around a million Palestinians who live there as part of its plan to take control of the enclave.
‘We will come back
The Global Sumud Flotilla, who describes himself as an independent group not linked to a government or a political party, said how many ships were going to sail or the exact starting time, but Thunberg spoke of “tens” of ships.
Sumud means “perseverance” in Arabic.
All those who have registered to join the flotilla strongly believe in its mission.
“It was difficult to say goodbye to my two children, but it is something I do because I believe that continuing to document what is happening in Palestine is only a grain of what our colleagues in Gaza and the West Bank do … It’s easy compared to what they endure every day,” said morals on the family.
Yasemin Acar, an organizer of the flotilla, confirmed that the flotilla, made up of delegations from 44 countries, would be “joined by many other boats from different ports” in Greece, Italy and Tunisia.
The maritime convoy, which will transport activists, European legislators and public figures from a certain number of countries, is expected to arrive in Gaza by mid-September.
The left left Portuguese legislative, Mariana Mortagua, who will join the mission, last week told Lisbon journalists that the flotilla was “a legal mission under international law”.
Two previous attempts at activists to provide Ship Aid in Gaza were blocked by Israel.
In June, 12 activists aboard the Madleen were intercepted by 185 km Israeli forces (115 miles) west of Gaza. His passengers, who included Acar and Thunberg, were detained and finally expelled.
In July, 21 activists from 10 countries were intercepted when they tried to approach Gaza in another ship, the Handala.
“We tried to … put navigation two months ago with Madleen, then we put the sails with the Handala. And we were attacked, kidnapped and brought to our will to the Zionist entity. But we said we will be back, “said Acar.
Mohamad Elmasry of the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies told Tel Aviv Tribune that the flotilla was “an important act of symbolic resistance” which “would create a spectacle”, Israel likely to find “logistically difficult” to treat the number of ships arriving at the same time.
“In the end, they will be intercepted. They will be detained or otherwise sent back,” he said. “It will not solve famine. What will resolve famine, in the end, is the governments that do their job to stop the genocide and deliberate famine programs. ”
