BARCELONA, (PIC)
The ships of the Global Sumud Flotilla set sail from the Spanish city of Barcelona heading to the Gaza Strip within the framework of a new campaign to break the Israeli siege and deliver humanitarian aid to the Palestinians.
It left the port of Barcelona, on Sunday, where a large number of Spaniards saw it off raising Palestinian flags, amidst warm applause and chants of “Free Palestine.”
The Global Sumud Flotilla includes dozens of boats carrying activists from about 70 countries.
During a press conference before the departure, the organizers of the flotilla emphasized that their goals are to break the siege imposed on Gaza, deliver humanitarian aid to the Palestinians, and convey the cry of Gaza, which is being subjected to genocide, to the entire world, calling on the international community to provide full support to them.
Eva Saldana, director of Greenpeace in Spain, which is participating for the first time in the Global Sumud Flotilla, said that “participating in this mission, going to Gaza, and supporting the Palestinian people, is a moral responsibility.”
She stressed that Palestine cannot be ignored, directing an appeal to the international community: “Silence does not mean neutrality, but rather it is complicity.”
She added, “All governments must put an end to this. Governments must support this humanitarian work, and do everything in their power to end the siege imposed on Palestine.”
For his part, Oscar Camps, director of the “Open Arms” organization participating in the flotilla, and known for its efforts in rescuing irregular migrants in the Mediterranean, said that “Europe is not a beacon in human rights, but merely decor,” criticizing what he described as the “hypocritical European position.”
This is the second initiative for the Global Sumud Flotilla, after the experience of September 2025, in an attempt to reach Gaza, and it comes after doubling the number of participants and developing a new strategy.
Those in charge of the flotilla indicate that their activities proceed according to international laws, and that the mission is carried out in coordination with Palestinian civil society organizations, lawyers, politicians, and experts in maritime security and media strategies.
Due to bad weather conditions, the flotilla will spend the coming night in a port near Barcelona, provided that it continues its journey in the Mediterranean Sea according to weather and sea conditions.
The flotilla will try this time to break the siege through land convoys as well as alongside the sea.
The previous attempt of the flotilla set sail in September 2025 from Barcelona also, with the participation of 42 boats and 462 people.
The members of the flotilla emphasize that they do not fear any possible intervention from Israel to stop them, and that their goal is to reach Gaza with more than 80 boats and about 1,000 people from 70 countries.
On 1 October 2025, the Israeli army attacked 42 ships belonging to the Sumud Flotilla while sailing in international waters toward Gaza, and arrested hundreds of international activists on board, before starting to deport them.
Israel has been besieging the Gaza Strip since 2007.
About 1.5 million Palestinians out of about 2.4 million in the Strip, have become homeless after the war of genocide destroyed their homes.
The Strip is witnessing an unprecedented humanitarian and health crisis since Israel began the war of genocide on 8 October 2023, which led to widespread destruction of infrastructure, including hospitals and healthcare facilities.
The Strip also suffers from strict Israeli restrictions on the entry of fuel and medical supplies, in addition to a sharp shortage of medicines and equipment.
