A flotilla of ships has departed for the Gaza Strip from Barcelona, Spain with humanitarian aid on board.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, which left on Sunday, will try to break the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory and bring humanitarian aid, food, water and medicine to Gaza as Israel steps up its offensive on Gaza city.

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg is among those on board alongside actors Susan Sarandon and Liam Cunningham, as well as activists, politicians and journalists.

The maritime convoy, made up of delegations from 44 countries, will be joined by more ships from ports in Italy, Greece, and Tunisia in the coming days, on its route from the western end of the Mediterranean to the Gaza Strip, according to organisers.

Demonstrators have made a cardboard cutout of Benjamin Netanyahu with a Hitler moustache and bloody hands to be shown at the port in Spain. (Reuters: Bruna Casas)

They expect about 20 vessels in total once all are together.

Hours before their departure, boats flying Palestinian flags began docking in line at a pier in Barcelona, while hundreds of supporters wearing keffiyehs chanted “Free Palestine!” and “Boycott Israel!”

“The story here is about Palestine. The story here is how people are being deliberately deprived of the very basic means to survive,” Ms Thunberg said at a press conference in Barcelona.

“The story here is how the world can be silent and how those in power … are in every possible way betraying and failing Palestinians and all oppressed peoples of the world.”

A crowd of people gathered at the port where the Global Sumud Flotilla departed from. (Reuters: Eva Manez)

Thunberg’s return after deportation

It is not the first time Ms Thunberg has attempted to reach Gaza waters this year.

She was deported in June when the ship she was travelling on with 11 other people, the Madleen, was stopped by the Israeli military.

In late July, the Israeli military stopped another aid ship, detained 21 international activists and reporters, and seized its cargo, including baby formula, food and medicine, according to Freedom Flotilla Coalition.

Aid agencies are warning not enough humanitarian assistance is making its way into Gaza. (Reuters: Hatem Khaled)

Earlier this month, the leading authority on food crises said that Gaza City was in famine and that half a million people across the strip were facing catastrophic levels of hunger.

An Israeli official said on Saturday that Israel will soon halt or slow humanitarian aid into parts of northern Gaza, as it expands its military offensive against Hamas, a day after the city was declared a combat zone.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 332 Palestinians have died from malnutrition-related causes during the war, including 124 children.

All UN Security Council members, except US, say famine in Gaza is ‘man-made crisis’ Photo shows A crowded scene with several children reaching forward, holding metal pots. At the centre is a curly haired child crying. In a joint statement, the 14 council members call for swift action as the famine in Gaza worsens, accusing Israel of blocking critical aid.

Mr Cunningham, who will join the flotilla, played a video showing a girl singing while planning her own funeral.

The girl, Fatima, died four days ago, he said.

“What sort of world have we slid into where children are making their own funeral arrangements?” Mr Cunningham said to reporters.

The war began on October 7, 2023, when an attack by Hamas militants inside Israel claimed the lives of 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took 251 people hostage.

Israel’s retaliatory military operation in Gaza has so far killed more than 63,000 people and displaced virtually the whole population, according to the territory’s health ministry.

AP

BARCELONA (AP) – A flotilla of ships was preparing to set sail for the Gaza Strip Sunday with humanitarian aid on board, while Israel stepped up its offensive on Gaza City and is limiting the deliveries of food and basic supplies in the north of the Palestinian territory.

The Global Sumud Flotilla will try to break the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory and bring humanitarian aid, food, water and medicine to Gaza.

The maritime convoy, made up of delegations from 44 countries, will be joined by more ships from ports in Italy, Greece, and Tunisia in the coming days, on its route from the western end of the Mediterranean to the Gaza Strip, according to organizers. They expect around 20 vessels in total once all are together.

Hours before their departure, boats flying Palestinian flags began docking in line at a pier in Barcelona, while hundreds of supporters wearing keffiyehs chanted “Free Palestine!” and “Boycott Israel!”

“The story here is about Palestine. The story here is how people are being deliberately deprived of the very basic means to survive,” said Swedish activist Greta Thunberg at a press conference.

“The story here is how the world can be silent and how those in power … are in every possible way betraying and failing Palestinians and all oppressed peoples of the world,” added Thunberg, who will be one of the most recognizable figures on the expedition, alongside actors Susan Sarandon and Liam Cunningham, as well as activists, politicians and journalists.

It is not the first time Thunberg will attempt to reach Gaza waters this year. She was deported in June when the ship she was traveling on with 11 other people, the Madleen, was stopped by the Israeli military.

In late July, the Israeli military stopped another aid ship, detained 21 international activists and reporters, and seized its cargo, including baby formula, food and medicine, according to Freedom Flotilla Coalition.

Earlier this month the leading authority on food crises said that Gaza City was in famine and that half a million people across the strip were facing catastrophic levels of hunger.

An Israeli official said Saturday that the country will soon halt or slow humanitarian aid into parts of northern Gaza, as it expands its military offensive against Hamas, a day after the city was declared a combat zone.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 332 Palestinians have died from malnutrition-related causes during the war, including 124 children.

Cunningham, who will join the flotilla, played a video showing a girl singing while planning her own funeral. The girl, Fatima, died four days ago, he said.

“What sort of world have we slid into where children are making their own funeral arrangements?” Cunningham said to reporters.

The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when an attack by Hamas militants inside Israel claimed the lives of 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took 251 people hostage. Israel´s retaliatory military operation in Gaza has so far killed more than 63,000 people and displaced virtually the whole population, according to the territory’s health ministry.

A flotilla carrying humanitarian aid and activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, left the port of Barcelona on Sunday to try to “break the illegal siege of Gaza”, organisers said. Previous attempts by activists to deliver aid to the enclave by ship have failed, but a French left-wing MEP onboard hopes this larger fleet has a greater chance of success.

Dozens of vessels set off from the Spanish port city with hundreds of people aboard, including delegations from some 44 countries.

The operation will take humanitarian aid, food, water and medicine to Gaza as Israel steps up its offensive in Gaza City.

The aim is to “open a humanitarian corridor and end the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people”, said the Global Sumud Flotilla. Sumud is the Arabic term for “resilience”.

The group defines itself as an independent organisation which has no affiliation to any government or political party.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza has worsened in recent weeks.

The United Nations declared a state of famine in the territory this month, warning that 500,000 people face “catastrophic” conditions. Israel rejected the accusation as “a lie”.

People crowd the dock in Barcelona ahead of the launch of a civilian flotilla bound for Gaza. AP – Emilio Morenatti

Also aboard were actors Susan Sarandon, Liam Cunningham, European lawmakers and public figures including former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau.

The convoy will be joined by other ships from ports in Italy, Greece, and Tunisia in the coming days as it makes its way through the Mediterranean to Gaza, organisers said.

It is expected to arrive at the coastal enclave in mid-September.

“The story here is about Palestine,” Thunberg said at a press conference in Barcelona. “The story here is how people are being deliberately deprived of the very basic means to survive.”

Thunberg, a member of the flotilla’s steering committee, told AFP the goal was to open up a humanitarian corridor to break an “illegal” and “inhuman” blockade of Gaza.

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, centre, speaks during a news conference in Barcelona ahead of the launch of a civilian flotilla bound for Gaza. AP – Hernan Munoz

Gaza aid flotilla ‘should not have to exist’ says Thunberg

Largest solidarity mission in history

Activists will also stage simultaneous demonstrations and other protests in 44 countries “in solidarity with the Palestinian people”, Thunberg wrote on Instagram.

“This will be the largest solidarity mission in history, with more people and more boats than all previous attempts combined,” Brazilian activist Thiago Avila told journalists in Barcelona last week.

“We understand that this is a legal mission under international law,” Portuguese lawmaker Mariana Mortagua, who will join the mission, told journalists in Lisbon last week.

Former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau delivers a speech at the flotilla launch © Lluis GENE / AFP

NGOs accuse Israel of ‘weaponising’ aid to Gaza as France readies airdrop

Previous attempts

Israel has already blocked two attempts by activists to deliver aid by ship to Gaza, in June and July.

In June, 12 activists on board the sailboat Madleen, from France, Germany, Brazil, Turkey, Sweden, Spain and the Netherlands, were intercepted by Israeli forces 185 kilometres west of Gaza.

Its passengers, who included Thunberg, were detained and eventually expelled.

In July, 21 activists from 10 countries were intercepted as they tried to approach Gaza in another vessel, the Handala.

Israel sends military to block Gaza-bound aid boat carrying activists

Among them was Emma Fourreau, an MEP with the hard-left France Unbowed party. She told RFI she was more hopeful this time.

“You can see that the scale has changed, that the balance of power is totally different. Maybe we can get some boats through… to break this blockade.”

Activists are calling for their countries to protect the flottilla.

The Spanish government says it will “deploy all of its diplomatic and consular protection to protect our citizens” sailing with the flotilla, the country’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said Saturday.

Madrid last year recognised Palestine as an independent state.

Israel launched its massive offensive in Gaza following the 7 October attack by Hamas in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken as hostages. At least 63,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war since then, mostly civilians, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

(with AFP)

A flotilla carrying actress Susan Sarandon, activist Greta Thunberg and others departed from Barcelona for the Gaza Strip on Sunday with humanitarian aid on board.

The Global Sumud Flotilla will try to break the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory and bring humanitarian aid, food, water and medicine to Gaza as Israel steps up its offensive in Gaza City.

“The story here is about Palestine,” Thunberg said at a press conference in Barcelona. “The story here is how people are being deliberately deprived of the very basic means to survive.”

Food experts warned earlier this month that Gaza City was in famine and that half a million people across the strip were facing catastrophic levels of hunger. The nearly 23-month war has killed more than 63,000 people, with at least 332 Palestinians dying of malnutrition, including 124 children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

Activists, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, are departing Barcelona for Gaza as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), a self-described “nonviolent humanitarian mission responding to the ongoing genocide and siege against the Palestinian people.” Mario Wurzburger / Getty Images

The maritime convoy, comprising approximately 20 boats and delegations from 44 countries, will be joined by additional ships from ports in Italy, Greece, and Tunisia in the coming days as it navigates its route from the western Mediterranean to the Gaza Strip, organizers said.

Thunberg, Sarandon and “Game of Thrones” actor Liam Cunningham are some of the most recognizable figures on the expedition, as well as activists, politicians like former mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, and journalists.

“It has been very clear that Israel has been continuously violating international law by either attacking, unlawfully intercepting the boats in international waters, and continuously preventing the humanitarian aid from coming in”, said Thunberg in an interview with The Associated Press on Saturday.

It is not the first time Thunberg and Cunninham will attempt to reach Gaza waters this year. She was deported in June when the ship she was traveling on with 11 other people, the Madleen, was stopped by the Israeli military.

The flotilla, which will be joined by others launching from various locations on September 4, includes activists, seafarers, doctors, and artists from over 40 countries. Mario Wurzburger / Getty Images

Cunningham, who will join the flotilla, played a video showing a girl singing while planning her own funeral. The girl, Fatima, died four days ago, he said.

“What sort of world have we slid into where children are making their own funeral arrangements?” Cunningham told reporters.

In late July, the Israeli military stopped another aid ship, detained 21 international activists and reporters, and seized its cargo, including baby formula, food and medicine, according to Freedom Flotilla Coalition.

An Israeli official said Saturday that the country will soon halt or slow humanitarian aid into parts of northern Gaza, as it expands its military offensive against Hamas, a day after the city was declared a combat zone.

The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when an attack by Hamas terrorists inside Israel claimed the lives of 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took 251 people hostage.

A FLOTILLA of ships has set sail for the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid on board, while the man-made famine deepens as Israel blocks deliveries of food to the Palestinian territory.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, departing from Spain, will try to break the Israeli blockade and bring humanitarian aid, food, water, and medicine to Gaza.

The maritime convoy, made up of delegations from 44 countries, will be joined by more ships from ports in Italy, Greece, and Tunisia in the coming days, on its route from the western end of the Mediterranean to the Gaza Strip, according to organisers.

They expect around 20 vessels in total once all are together.

Hours before their departure, boats flying Palestinian flags began docking in line at a pier in Barcelona, while hundreds of supporters chanted “Free Palestine” and “Boycott Israel”.

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg told a press conference: “The story here is about Palestine. The story here is how people are being deliberately deprived of the very basic means to survive.

“The story here is how the world can be silent and how those in power… are in every possible way betraying and failing Palestinians and all oppressed peoples of the world.”

Thunberg will be one of the most recognisable figures on the expedition, alongside actors Susan Sarandon and Liam Cunningham, as well as activists, politicians, and journalists.

It is not the first time Thunberg has attempted to reach Gaza waters this year. She was deported in June when the ship she was traveling on with 11 other people, the Madleen, was stopped by the Israeli military.

In late July, the Israeli military stopped another aid ship, detained 21 international activists and reporters, and seized its cargo, including baby formula, food, and medicine, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.

Earlier this month, the leading authority on food crises said Gaza City was in famine and half a million people across the Strip were facing catastrophic levels of hunger.

An Israeli official said on Saturday that the country will soon halt or slow humanitarian aid into parts of northern Gaza, as it expands its military offensive against Hamas, a day after the city was declared a combat zone.

Gaza’s health ministry said at least 332 Palestinians have died from malnutrition-related causes during the war, including 124 children.

The conflict began on October 7 2023 when an attack by Hamas militants inside Israel claimed the lives of 1200 people, most of them civilians, and took 251 people hostage.

Israel’s retaliatory military operation in Gaza has so far killed more than 63,000 people and displaced virtually the whole population, according to the territory’s health ministry.