The Global Sumud Flotilla has once again set sail for Gaza, more than six months after its previous mission was obstructed by Israel, aiming to draw attention to the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave.
Following a delay of several days due to weather conditions, 39 boats carrying around a thousand activists from around the world have now set sail from the Spanish coastal city of Barcelona, organizers said Wednesday.
The pro-Palestinian activists intend to make another attempt to break through the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip with dozens of boats and deliver aid supplies to the conflict region.
The aid flotilla is being accompanied by a vessel from the Spanish aid organization Open Arms, and by the Arctic Sunrise, a former icebreaker belonging to the environmental group Greenpeace, it was reported.
In the first stage of the crossing, the fleet says it will sail across the Mediterranean to Sicily, where it will meet up with GSF delegations from Italy and France.
The Global Sumud Flotilla was founded last year by several international activist networks. "Sumud" means steadfastness in Arabic.
Israel has thwarted past attempts by activists to break the unlawful naval blockade off the Gaza Strip. During a previous attempt in autumn 2025, the GSF - consisting mainly of private sailing and motorboats - was stormed by Israeli special forces and prevented from reaching the conflict region.
The activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, were taken into custody and subsequently deported.
"We don’t know what to expect. We don’t know how far we’ll get," admitted Open Arms founder Òscar Camps in an interview with the Europa Press news agency.
The aim of the action was "to bring events in Gaza back into the media spotlight, because they have faded into the background," he said.
More than 700 people had been "killed during these months of a Ceasefire that was not a real one," he said, adding that "we must stop the genocide there and begin the reconstruction of Gaza."