Global flotilla of 100 ships, 3,000 activists to set sail from Barcelona next month to break Gaza siege

An international coalition of activists say they have plans for a massive civilian-led flotilla to Gaza in March, aiming to deliver humanitarian aid, break Israel’s blockade, and spotlight ongoing Israeli violations despite a fragile ceasefire.

Organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla announced on Thursday that a new mission involving around 3,000 participants from roughly 100 nationalities and more than 100 ships would depart for the besieged Gaza Strip on March 29, primarily from Barcelona, with additional vessels joining from Spain, Tunisia, and Italy.

The flotilla will carry humanitarian aid along with medical workers, engineers, and war crimes investigation teams in an effort to break Israel’s blockade on the war-ravaged Palestinian territory. 

A parallel land convoy, expected to draw thousands more activists, will attempt to reach Gaza via the Rafah crossing on the Egypt-Gaza border.

The announcement was made at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg, South Africa, highlighting the country’s historic solidarity with Palestine, with speakers including Mandla Mandela, Nelson Mandela’s grandson, who previously participated in a flotilla intercepted by Israeli forces.

Recalling his grandfather’s words, he said, “It always seems impossible until it's done.”

Mandela added that the aim this time is far broader.

“This time around we expect hundreds and thousands to sign up and to mobilize entry through Egypt, through Lebanon, through Jordan and every other border that is feasible for us to get into occupied Palestine and to Gaza,” he noted, adding, “We want to mobilize the entire global community to join forces with us.”

Organizers described the operation as the largest civilian-led mobilization yet against Israel’s aggression and genocidal war in Gaza. They said the flotilla would consist mainly of humanitarian emergency experts, stressing that international law protects their non-violent mission.

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The new mission follows last year’s flotilla, which involved about 50 boats and 500 activists and was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters.

Organizers said Israeli vessels approached the boats and used water cannons, leading to the detention of an estimated 443 participants, including Mandla Mandela, climate activist Greta Thunberg, and European Parliament member Rima Hassan.

Mandela himself was detained after his boat was stopped before reaching Gaza’s shores.

Activists said the renewed effort comes as Gaza remains in a severe humanitarian crisis despite a ceasefire announced in October.

While the United Nations reported that hundreds of thousands of pallets of aid have entered Gaza, Israel has suspended more than two dozen humanitarian organizations and tightly restricted movement through Rafah crossing.

Organizers said at least 520 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since October 11, when a US-brokered ceasefire came into force between the Tel Aviv regime and the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas. Tens of thousands more also remain trapped without medical evacuation.

They called on the international community to prevent the occupying entity or other countries from stopping the flotilla and to uphold Palestinians’ right to decide their own future.

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