A global boats fleet, which is part of an international maritime initiative aimed at providing humanitarian aid to hungry people in Gaza, was forced to go back after continuing on Sunday due to bad weather.
In a press release, the organizers said that due to dangerous weather conditions, including strong winds exceeding 30 knots (55.5 km / h), they decided to return to the port to prioritize everyone on board.
For the immediate release, the departure of the global Sumud Flotilla mission delayed to prioritize security in the midst of strong Mediterranean winds pic.twitter.com/a4ydahlijh
– Global Sumud Flatilla (@globalsumudf) September 1, 2025
The team has planned a meeting for Monday to decide when resuming their trip to the Gaza Strip, with the possibility of making sails later during the day.
The first convoy, made up of dozens of small civilian ships with activists, humanitarian workers, doctors, sailors and humanitarian supplies, has moved away from Spanish ports on August 31 to meet in Tunisia with a second wave on September 4.
The organizers describe the Global Sumud Flotilla as the largest maritime mission in Gaza, bringing together more than 50 ships and delegations of at least 44 countries.
Which countries participate?
According to the Global Sumud Flotilla, the delegations of 44 countries have already undertaken to sail in Gaza as part of the largest maritime mission to break the illegal headquarters of Israel.
Pays of six continents will participate in the flotilla, including countries like Australia, Brazil, South Africa and many European states.
According to the group, participants are not affiliated with a government or a political party.
Which groups participate?
This mission is organized by four main coalitions, including groups that participated in previous land and sea campaign efforts in Gaza:
- Global movement to Gaza (GMTG) – Formerly known as March Global in Gaza, it is a basic movement organizing global solidarity actions to support Gaza and breaking the seat.
- Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) – With 15 years of experience in the management of maritime missions, including past fleets such as Madleen and Handala, FFC provides practical advice, advice and operational support for current efforts to break the Gaza blocking.
- Maghreb Sumud Flatilla – Formerly known as the Sumud convoy, this is an initiative based in North Africa carrying out solidarity missions to provide help and support for Palestinian communities.
- Sumud Nusantara – This is a convoy led by the people of Malaysia and eight other countries which aims to break the blocking of Gaza and to promote solidarity among the nations of the South World.
Collectively, they will form the largest coordinated civil fleet in history.
Who are the people involved?
According to the Global Sumud Flotilla, the coalition includes a range of people, including organizers, humanitarian workers, doctors, artists, clergy, lawyers and sailors, who are united by a belief in human dignity, the power of non -violent action and a single objective: the seat and the genocide must end.
A steering committee has been created, which includes tastes of Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, historian Kleoniki Alexopoulou, human rights activist Yasemin Acar, socio-environmentalist Thiago Avila, political scientist and lawyer Melanie Schweizer, a social scientist Karen Moynihan, a physicist Elena Delia Activist Pallerstina, his assets Pallestin, Humansian, Humanirian Delena Delia Délia, Palestinian Activist Palestinian, Humosicis Muhammad Nadir al-Nuri, Marouan Ben Guettaia, Wael Nawar activist, activist and social researcher Hayfa Mansouri, and activist of human rights Torkia Chaibi.
Although hundreds of navigating the organized fleet, tens of thousands of others have registered to participate in the initiative.
When will the ships leave and how long will they take to reach Gaza?
In a press conference in Placa del Rei in Barcelona, Saif Abukeshek said that the exact number would be specified later and that the details of specific ports and ships were retained for security reasons.
The group estimates that the fleet will take seven to eight days to travel about 3,000 km (1,620-thousand atte-miles) in Gaza.
What is a flotilla and why send the help by sea?
A flotilla is a group of boats or ships organized to provide essential supplies, such as food, drugs and other materials, in crisis regions. It is generally organized when traditional feeding lanes such as air and earth corridors are blocked or inaccessible.
Since 2007, Israel has closely controlled the airspace of Gaza and territorial waters, restricting the movement of goods and people. Even before the war, Gaza had no functional airports after Israel bombed and destroyed Gaza International Airport in 2001, just three years after its opening.
Humanitarian and basic fleets generally operate under the protection of international organizations and are governed by naval laws.
By providing the sea help, the Flotilla Sumud aims to face the blockade of Israel and to carry a message that the seat must end.
What happened to the previous flutillas?
Several Freedom Flatilla ships have tried to break the Gaza blockade in the past.
In 2008, two boats in the free movement of Gaza managed to reach Gaza, marking the first violation of the naval blockade of Israel. The movement, founded in 2006 by activists during the War of Israel against Lebanon, launched 31 boats between 2008 and 2016, five of which reached Gaza despite strong Israeli restrictions.
Since 2010, all the Flatillas trying to break the Gaza blockade have been intercepted or attacked by Israel in international waters.
2010 – Gaza Freedom Flatilla
In 2010, Israeli commandos made a descent into Mavi Marmara in international waters. They killed 10 activists and injured dozens, leading to world indignation. The ship carried humanitarian aid and more than 600 passengers.
2011 – Freedom Flotilla II
Freedom Flotilla II was launched in 2011 to follow the 2010 mission. Organized by a coalition of international activists and NGOs, it aimed to break the blockade of Israel on Gaza and to provide humanitarian aid.
2015 – Freedom Flotilla III
Freedom Flotilla III was launched in 2015 as the third major attempt by international activists to unravel the Israeli Gaza naval blockage. Organized by the FFC, the mission included several ships, with the Marianne de Gothenburg, struck by Swedish, leading the effort.
2018 – Just the future of Palestine
The future just for Flotilla Palestine – also known as Gaza Freedom Flotilla 2018 – was part of a continuous effort from the FFC to challenge the naval blocking of Israel of Gaza.
2025 – Break the “conscience” seat
While preparing to sail in Gaza on May 2, the conscience was hit twice by armed drones, only 14 naval miles (25 km) off Malta. The attack sparked a fire and caused a significant violation in the hull, forcing the 30 Turkish and Azerbaijani activists on board in a desperate effort to bail out the water and keep the ship afloat.
2025 – Madleen – Madleen, launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition on June 9, was intercepted by the Israeli army at around 100 naval miles (185 km) from Gaza, in international waters.
2025 – Handala – On July 26, Israeli forces stormed the ship to Gaza, which carried aid to the hungry Palestinians.