The 12-person crew, which includes climate activist Greta Thunberg, expects to take seven days to reach Gaza.

International nonprofit organisation Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) says one of its vessels has left Sicily to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, after a previous attempt failed due to a drone attack on a different ship in the Mediterranean.

The 12-person crew, which includes Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Irish actor Liam Cunningham and Franco-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan, set sail on the Madleen from the port of Catania on Sunday, carrying barrels of relief supplies that the group called “limited amounts, though symbolic”.

The voyage comes after another vessel operated by the group, the Conscience, was hit by two drones just outside Maltese territorial waters in early May. While FFC said Israel was to blame for the incident, it has not responded to requests for comment.

“We are doing this because no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying, because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity,” Thunberg told reporters at a news conference before the departure. The Swedish climate activist had been due to board the Conscience.

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She added that “no matter how dangerous this mission is, it is nowhere near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the lives being genocised”.

🇵🇸 ⛵️ Avec @GretaThunberg nous appelons à la mobilisation citoyenne pour soutenir massivement le navire humanitaire de @GazaFFlotilla ! C’est le seul moyen de garantir notre sécurité. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/5DUJbkRdPZ — Rima Hassan (@RimaHas) June 1, 2025

The activists expect to take seven days to reach their destination, if they are not stopped.

The FCC, launched in 2010, is a non-violent international movement supporting Palestinians, combining humanitarian aid with political protest against the blockade on Gaza.

It said the trip “is not charity. This is a non-violent, direct action to challenge Israel’s illegal siege and escalating war crimes”.

United Nations agencies and major aid groups say Israeli restrictions, the breakdown of law and order, and widespread looting make it extremely difficult to deliver aid to Gaza’s roughly two million inhabitants.

The situation in Gaza is at its worst since the war between Israel and Hamas began 19 months ago, the UN said on Friday, despite a resumption of limited aid deliveries in the Palestinian enclave.

Under growing global pressure, Israel ended an 11-week blockade on Gaza on May 19, allowing extremely limited UN-led operations to resume.

On Monday, a new avenue for aid distribution was also launched: the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, backed by the United States and Israel, but with the UN and international aid groups refusing to work with it, saying it is not neutral and has a distribution model that forces the displacement of Palestinians.

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The FCC is the latest among a growing number of critics to accuse Israel of genocidal acts in its war in Gaza, allegations Israel vehemently denies.

“We are breaking the siege of Gaza by sea, but that’s part of a broader strategy of mobilisations that will also attempt to break the siege by land,” said activist Thiago Avila.

Avila also mentioned the upcoming Global March to Gaza – an international initiative also open to doctors, lawyers and members of the media – which is set to leave Egypt and reach the Rafah crossing in mid-June to stage a protest there, calling on Israel to stop the Gaza offensive and reopen the border.

International nonprofit organisation Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) said one of its vessels left the Italian port of Catania on Sunday, heading for Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid after a previous attempt failed due to a drone attack on a separate ship in the Mediterranean. The crew of volunteers, including climate activist Greta Thunberg and Irish actor Liam Cunningham, set sail on the Madleen, carrying barrels of what the group called “limited amounts, though symbolic”, of relief supplies.

“We are doing this because, no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying,” Thunberg said during a tearful speech. “Because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity. And, no matter how dangerous this mission is, it’s not even near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the live-streamed genocide.”

This voyage marks the FFC’s second attempt in as many months to break the blockade.

An earlier mission in early May was aborted after another FFC vessel, the Conscience, came under attack by two suspected drones while navigating international waters off the coast of Malta.

The activists anticipate a seven-day journey to their destination, provided they are not intercepted along the way.

As well as 11 other activists including “Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent.” ?

You see, the Madleen, a sail ship run by Freedom Flotilla Coalition left for Gaza from Italy this afternoon. The trip is expected to take seven days and will not be delivering much help, even if they make it. It seems to be more of a wake up call. To the world.

Greta said it best I think.

“We are doing this because, no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying. Because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity. And no matter how dangerous this mission is, it’s not even near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the live-streamed genocide.”

A sailing vessel carrying climate activist Greta Thunberg and 11 other campaigners departed from the Sicilian port of Catania on Sunday, embarking on a mission organizers state is aimed at “breaking Israel´s siege” of the Gaza Strip, The Associated Press reported.

The Madleen, operated by the activist group Freedom Flotilla Coalition, will attempt to reach Gaza’s shores to deliver aid and “raise international awareness” regarding the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the territory.

During a press conference prior to departure, Thunberg stated, “We are doing this because, no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying. Because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity. And no matter how dangerous this mission is, it´s not even near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the live-streamed genocide.”

Among the crew members are “Game of Thrones” actor Liam Cunningham and Rima Hassan, a French Member of the European Parliament of Palestinian descent, who has been barred from entering Israel due to her active opposition to Israeli actions in Gaza. Activists said they anticipate a seven-day journey, assuming they are not intercepted.

This attempt follows a previous failed effort in early May, where another Freedom Flotilla vessel, the “Conscience,” reportedly sustained damage from two alleged drones in international waters off Malta. The group attributed the attack to Israel.

In 2010, a previous “Freedom Flotilla” set off from the southern Turkish city of Antalya, leading to a deadly episode after Israeli soldiers boarded one of the ships, the Mavi Marmara, when the Islamists on board, who claimed they were carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza, refused to reverse course and dock at the Ashdod Port.

As soon as they boarded the ship, the soldiers were attacked by the Islamists with clubs and knives, forcing the troops to open fire and killing 10 of those on board.

Upon inspection, it was discovered that there was no humanitarian aid whatsoever aboard the Marmara.

Thunberg has upped her criticism of Israel since the start of the war in Gaza, which began after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 massacre against Israel. Thunberg has taken to social media, where she has been expressing solidarity with Gaza while barely mentioning October 7.

In November of 2023, a protester briefly grabbed the microphone from Thunberg during a rally in Amsterdam and criticized her over her pro-Palestinian Arab comments.

Thunberg, who was addressing the crowd, invited a Palestinian Arab woman and an Afghan woman onstage and said, “As a climate justice movement, we have to listen to the voices of those who are being oppressed and those who are fighting for freedom and for justice. Otherwise, there can be no climate justice without international solidarity.”

The protester then burst onto the stage and said, “I have come here for a climate demonstration, not a political view.”

In January, Thunberg participated in an anti-Israel protest in Leipzig, Germany, where she called to “crush Zionism”.

(Israel National News’ North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shavuot in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)