Global Sumud Flotilla to Break Gaza Illegal Blockade: How Is ‘Israel’ Preparing?

Unlike previous attempts that relied on individual vessels, the Global Sumud Flotilla (the Global Resilience Flotilla) is betting on reaching Gaza and breaking the illegal Israeli blockade by launching dozens of boats at once.

From the port of Barcelona, about 20 ships set sail on August 31, with additional vessels from Tunisia and other Mediterranean countries scheduled to follow on September 4, along with demonstrations and simultaneous activities in 44 countries.

Flotilla Details

The flotilla sails under the banner “When the world stays silent, we set sail,” aiming to break “Israel’s” illegal blockade on Gaza, which has endured a devastating aggression for 23 months.

Its mission is to deliver humanitarian aid, open a vital humanitarian corridor, and ensure more relief supplies reach Gaza, with the ultimate goal of breaking the blockade and ending “Israel’s” deliberate starvation of two million people.

Since March 2, 2025, the Israeli Occupation has closed all Gaza crossings and blocked aid, plunging the population into severe famine that has claimed dozens of lives.

The flotilla is organized by four major coalitions that have taken part in past land and sea missions to Gaza: the Global Movement for Gaza, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the Maghreb Sumud Flotilla, and Sumud Nusantara.

More than 300 activists departed Barcelona, with the total expected to reach thousands as others join from abroad. The number of vessels is projected to range between 50 and 70.

On board the flotilla are Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Brazilian activist Thiago Avila, former Mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau Ballano, Irish actor Liam Cunningham, and Spanish actor Eduard Fernandez.

In addition, four Turkish MPs traveled to Tunisia to join the flotilla, representing the Felicity Party (two), the Future Party led by former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, and the Kurdish-Islamist Free Cause Party.

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who previously sailed to Gaza aboard the vessel Madeleine during the Israeli war on the Strip before being deported from the Israeli Occupation, said this mission is historic and unlike earlier attempts. She told Agence France-Presse that they now have more ships and a larger number of people.

“It should not have to be up to us. It is the responsibility of countries, of our governments and elected officials to act to try to uphold international law, to prevent war crimes, to prevent genocide,” she said.

“That is their legal duty to do. And they are failing to do so. And thereby betraying Palestinians but also all of humanity.”

“Our aim is to get to Gaza, to deliver the humanitarian aid, announce the opening of a humanitarian corridor and then bring more aid, and then thus also ending, breaking Israel’s illegal and inhumane siege on Gaza,” added Thunberg.

From Barcelona, Brazilian activist Thiago Avila described the mission as “the largest solidarity mission in history, with more people and more boats than all previous attempts combined.”

Spanish actor Eduardo Fernandez said, “Whether we like it or not, Gaza is a mirror reflecting all of us. It is impossible not to take a position here. Every boat sailing toward 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.”

Meanwhile in Tunisia, preparations are underway to finalize seven vessels set to join the Global Sumud Flotilla. The ships leaving Barcelona reached Tunisian waters before heading to Gaza, with arrival in Palestinian territorial waters projected for September 11.

Repeat Attempt

This is not the first time during “Israel’s ongoing genocide that international ships have tried to break the blockade on Gaza, but this is by far the largest flotilla.

In July 2025, the vessel Handala set sail from the Italian port of Siracusa before being intercepted by the Israeli Occupation navy, which arrested 21 activists on board and deported them. A month earlier, Israeli Occupation forces seized the Madeleine from international waters as it attempted to deliver aid to the besieged enclave, detaining 12 activists who were later deported on the condition that they would not return. In May, the ship al-Dhamir was struck by an Israeli drone as it tried to sail toward Gaza, leaving a hole in its hull and sparking a fire in its bow.

Nabil Chennoufi, spokesman for the Global Sumud Flotilla and member of the Maghreb Resilience Fleet Committee, said the current mission stands apart because of its size, with 60 ships compared to no more than three in past attempts. He told Al-Estiklal the flotilla also includes participants from a wide range of countries, Tunisia, Spain, Italy, Turkiye, Indonesia and much of Europe, and carries well-known figures such as diplomats, parliamentarians, artists and influencers.

He described the flotilla as a diplomatic challenge meant to pressure the Israeli Occupation, expand coordination around international initiatives that bypass its control and push for an end to the genocide and recognition of Palestinian rights, including statehood. If the flotilla fails to reach Gaza, Chennoufi said the plan is to dock in a nearby country such as Lebanon before trying again. “If we are stopped, we will try again with a new flotilla or another initiative,” he said. “We will not tire or give up until the assault ends. We already have many ideas in mind, and we will leave them as surprises if our ships are boarded and our activists detained.”

He warned that the Israeli Occupation may target some boats to intimidate others into retreat, or arrest activists to weaken the effort.

On September 2, dockworkers in Genoa threatened to impose a full blockade on goods bound for “Israel” if contact with the flotilla is lost even briefly or if ships are prevented from reaching their destination. They said the humanitarian corridor aims to deliver aid to a population under bombardment, stressing that the priority is the safe return of the activists because every shipment of food represents a right of the Palestinian people.

Italian reports noted that Genoa handles 13,000 to 14,000 containers bound for the Israeli Occupation each year. The port’s unions vowed that no cargo would leave until the flotilla’s safe passage is assured, warning they could escalate with an international strike and road blockages.

In June 2025, the port workers, backed by their union, staged a sit-in and declared they would refuse to load weapons onto any Israeli Occupation vessel. The Italian daily Il Manifesto described it as a peaceful embargo against the massacres in Gaza.

‘Israel’ Prepares

The Israeli Occupation is preparing to stop the flotilla and is weighing measures to block its arrival in Gaza, including punishing participants by treating them like Palestinian security detainees in its jails.

On August 31, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a small meeting at his official residence in Occupied Jerusalem with far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and security officials to discuss operational strategy against the flotilla.

According to the Israeli news agency JNS, Ben-Gvir urged Netanyahu to adopt harsher steps as part of a “deterrence strategy” to prevent future missions. That plan, the agency said, was drafted during a preparatory meeting Ben-Gvir held on August 28 with senior police and prison officials.

The measures would place activists in prison conditions similar to those of “terrorists” at Ketz’iot prison in the Negev for men and Damon prison for women. Israel Hayom reported that such conditions would deny detainees television and radio, limit their food quality, and extend confinement beyond a single night. The paper added in early September that the justification would be violating a restricted military zone, displaying photos of Palestinian fighters, and alleged ties to terrorist groups.

Under the proposal, the Israeli Occupation would also seize the ships and convert them into police assets to build a maritime force. A legal review has already concluded such confiscation would be permitted.

Sources close to Ben-Gvir told the paper that the lenient handling of earlier protest flotillas had failed to deter activists. If the strategy is approved, they said, after weeks in Ketz’iot and Damon, they will regret ever coming here. “We must crush their will to try again.”

An Israeli army spokesman told JNS on August 11 that the military is maintaining a naval blockade on Gaza, is ready for a wide range of scenarios, and will act in line with political directives.

On July 12, 2025, the Israeli Occupation army issued a military order sealing off Gaza’s coastline entirely, continuing a blockade that has long prevented solidarity ships from entering.

The flotilla’s launch coincides with “Israel” intensifying its aggression on Gaza and preparing to seize the densely populated northern part of the enclave. As part of those preparations, the Israeli Occupation plans to slow or block the already scarce flow of aid to the north to push civilians southward ahead of an occupation and possible displacement, according to Israeli officials and local reports in recent weeks.