Posted on September 1, 2025
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Update: 15 hours ago
The Flotilla Global Sumud providing aid to the Gaza Israeli-blocked band left Barcelona again on Monday evening, several hours after the bad weather forced it to return to the Spanish port, according to a journalist traveling on one of the boats.
Earlier Monday, Flatilla – which left Barcelona on Sunday – said in a press release on X that strong winds of more than 30 knots (55.6 kilometers per hour, 34.5 miles per hour) on the Mediterranean Sea could have posed a problem for small boats in the convoy.
The Flatilla said that it had carried out a trial at sea and had made the decision to return to Port in Barcelona to allow the storm to pass.
Mauricio Morales, a journalist reporting for Tel Aviv Tribune aboard the Alma boat, said Flatilla began to leave the port around 7:30 p.m. local time (5.30 p.m. GMT) Monday after a general meeting of all volunteers.
The flotilla has dozens of small civilian ships carrying volunteers and humanitarian supplies.
He planned to meet a second wave of ships in Tunisia on Thursday, but this plan was now slightly delayed.
This is the third flotilla of gender help in recent months to try to break the Israeli seat in Gaza.
Previous attempts have failed, Israeli naval forces illegally intercepting boats in international waters.
The organizers said that the Global Sumud Flotilla is the largest maritime mission in Gaza, bringing together more than 50 ships and delegations of at least 44 countries.
Apart from the 20 boats that leave Barcelona, more should join the whole Mediterranean in the coming days, notably from Tunisia and Sicily.
Volunteers
This flotilla is organized by four main coalitions which participated in the previous efforts of the land and the sea for Gaza: the world movement towards Gaza, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, Maghreb Sumud Flatilla and Sumud Nusantara.
Volunteers are from countries that include Australia, Brazil, Colombia, South Africa and many European states. According to the organizers, participants are not affiliated with a government or a political party.
On board, Flatilla is the Swedish activist of the Climate Greta Thunberg, the Brazilian activist Thiago Avila, the former mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau Ballano, the Irish actor Liam Cunningham and the Spanish actor Eduard Fernandez.
Many people involved are part of the past efforts from the flotilla.
The Coalition steering committee includes a number of high -level activists and personalities, such as the Palestinian activist Saif Abukeshek, the human rights activist Yasemin Acar, historian Kleoniki Alexopoulou, the activist Marouan Ben Guettaia, the human rights activist Torkia Chaibi, the physicist Maria Elena Delia, The activist and social researcher Hayfa Mansouli, Social Sciences Kar, Moynihan, Hayfa Mansouli, Social Sciences Kar, Moynihan Mansouli, Social Sciences Kar, Moynihan Mansouli, Social Sciences Kar, Moyniha Humanitaire Muhammad Nadir al-Nuri, Wael Nawar activist, Politéologist and lawyer Melanie Schweizer, Avila and Thunberg.
The previous flutillalas were widely blocked, although in 2008, two boats in the free movement of Gaza reached Gaza.
The movement, founded in 2006 by activists during the War of Israel against Lebanon, launched 31 boats from 2008 to 2016, five of which reached Gaza despite strong Israeli restrictions.
But since 2010, all attempts have been intercepted or attacked by Israeli forces. In 2010, Israeli commandos made a descent into Mavi Marmara in international waters. The assault killed 10 activists and injured dozens, which led to world indignation. The ship carried humanitarian aid and more than 600 passengers.
Thunberg, Avila and other eminent activists were arrested by Israeli commandos in June when the Madleen was intercepted at around 185 km (100 naval miles) of Gaza in international waters.
Gaza’s desperate need
The latest attempts by activists come while the humanitarian situation in Gaza worsens rapidly.
Last month, the integrated classification of the United Nations integrated food security phase officially declared famine in the enclave areas, an assessment that Israel denied.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army has placed forced displacement orders to residents of Gaza City, which is under heavy bombing after the government has approved a plan to grasp it.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, at least 63,557 people were killed and 160,660 others injured since the start of the war in October 2023.
