Two dozen boats left Barcelona today, Sunday 31st August, carrying hundreds of people and kilos of food towards Gaza, in the largest ever bid to break Israel’s siege and open a humanitarian aid corridor, report Novara Media.
Greta Thunberg and Brazilian humanitarian Thiago Ávila are among a steering committee of activists leading the mission from on board. Boats varying in size from small sailing yachts to large cruisers left the Spanish city at 3pm, carrying delegations from 44 countries, including South Africa, Ireland, Malaysia, Great Britain and the United States.
The Global Sumud Flotilla left as thousands gathered at the port to send off participants with heartfelt messages of solidarity, hope, and love for Palestine. They included the Catalan Committee in Solidarity with Ukraine, who displayed a banner reading “From Ukraine to Palestine, occupation is a crime.”
The flotilla is the biggest mission of its kind, with fifty boats set to join. Carrying vital humanitarian aid, it marks the 38th attempt in total, and the third in recent months, to break Israel’s blockade and open a lifeline to Gaza by organising a flotilla of aid. Sumud means “perseverance” in Arabic.
The first convoy will be joined by a second wave in Tunisia on 4th September. The organisers are demanding Israel lift the blockade, guarantee entry for aid, end the massacre and stop the genocide.
The mission is organised by four major coalitions, including groups that have participated in previous land and sea efforts to Gaza. They are the Global Movement to Gaza, a grassroots movement organising global solidarity actions to support Gaza and break the siege; the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which has fifteen years of experience running sea missions, including past flotillas such as the Madleen and Handala; the Maghreb Sumud Flotilla, a North Africa-based initiative carrying out solidarity missions to deliver aid and support to Palestinian communities; and Sumud Nusantara, a people-led convoy from Malaysia and eight other countries, which aims to break the Gaza blockade.
“If Israel once again decides to violate international law and prevent humanitarian aid from getting into Gaza,” said Greta Thunberg at the press conference before departure, “our plan B is to come back even bigger. As simple as that.”
In June, twelve activists on board the Madleen were intercepted by Israeli forces 115 miles west of Gaza. Its passengers, who included Thunberg, were detained and eventually expelled. In July, 21 activists from ten countries were intercepted as they tried to approach Gaza in another vessel, the Handala.
The latest mission has several high-profile figures tsking part. They include Mariana Mortagua, the National Coordinator of the Portuguese Left Bloc and MP, Irish actor Liam Cunningham, Spanish actor Eduardo Fernandez, and former Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau.
Also aboard is writer and activist Ewa Jasiewicz. Jasiewicz was in the Gaza Strip during the first Gaza War in 2008 and in 2010 was attacked at sea alongside other human rights activists by Israeli commandos while travelling in a ship convoy intending to breach the naval blockade of Gaza.
Follow the flotilla’s progress on X at https://x.com/GlobalSumudF and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/globalsumudflotilla/
Image: London protest, July 2024, c/o Labour Hub
Labour Hub 