Gaza Aid Flotilla Sets Sail After Weather Hold-Up
(MENAFN) A flotilla carrying activists and humanitarian aid departed Barcelona’s port late Monday after adverse weather forced its return just a day earlier, organizers confirmed.
“Now the weather forecast has improved, the first group of boats has now set sail, carrying not only their crews but the spirit of all who stood at the dock and everyone rising together across the world,” the Global Sumud Flotilla said in a post on Instagram, the US social media platform.
The group added, “More boats will join in the days ahead coming from all across the Mediterranean. The message from Barcelona was clear: the world has had enough, and Palestine is not alone.”
The mission originally launched Sunday with around 200 activists, politicians, and artists from 44 countries following a large rally supporting the cause.
Among those participating are Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Irish actor Liam Cunningham, Spanish actor Eduardo Fernandez, and former Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau.
Eduardo Fernandez underscored the mission’s intent on Sunday: “Every ship sailing towards Gaza is a cry for human dignity. This mission is not a threat – it is an act of humanity against barbarity. Silence is complicity. And silence kills as much as bombs do.”
Organizers say additional vessels will join from Italy and Tunisia, swelling the flotilla to more than 500 people aboard roughly 60 ships.
The flotilla aims to reach Gaza by mid-September.
Thunberg stressed the urgency of ending the blockade on Gaza: “Every day, more people are waking up and realizing the scale of Israel’s massacres and genocide,” she said Sunday. “Today’s news is not that this flotilla is setting out, but rather how the world can remain silent and how politicians can betray and abandon the Palestinian people.”
Earlier this year, Thunberg took part in another flotilla that was intercepted and seized by Israel, with its 12-member crew ultimately deported.
Israel’s strict blockade of the Gaza Strip, enforced since early March, has devastated the territory’s 2.4 million residents, causing famine, widespread disease, and the collapse of essential services.
Since October 2023, Israel’s war on Gaza has resulted in the deaths of over 63,500 Palestinians, described by many as genocidal.
In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice related to its military actions in the enclave.
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