Reportage
A new, larger flotilla is on its way to Gaza
Compared to eight months ago, many things have changed. The Middle East is now even more deeply immersed in a war scenario. The hell that was once limited solely to Palestine has now been extended by Israel and the US to include Iran and Lebanon as well.
The flotilla set sail: for the second time, its long journey began from Barcelona, as it attempts once again to reach Gaza to break the siege imposed by the genocidal state of Israel.
Last Wednesday morning, after a three-day delay due to bad weather, the new flotilla started from the port of Barcelona, aiming to reach the other side of the Mediterranean to let the Palestinians and the world know that many people have not forgotten them and continue to denounce the crimes of the government led by Benjamin Netanyahu.
Thirty-nine vessels set off from the port of the Catalan capital, with the fleet expected to grow to as many as 70 ships – carrying about a thousand participants from some 70 countries – as they make stops at ports in Sicily and possibly in Greece and Turkey. The journey is scheduled to continue from Syracuse on April 24.
In terms of numbers, there will be nearly twice as many boats as last time. The Catalan humanitarian organization Open Arms has also joined the Global Sumud Flotilla and will provide “technical, logistical and medical support.” After many boats had to abandon the mission last time due to technical problems, Open Arms will also be responsible for assessing risks and emergency interventions at sea, as well as contributing to the international civilian presence for observation, protection and documentation.
Its founder, Òscar Camps, who has criticized “semantics as a moral lifeline” – a tactic he says is being used by European institutions and a segment of the population to “soothe their conscience while Palestinian children die” – will accompany the fleet during the first leg of the voyage. Greenpeace's Arctic Sunrise will also follow the fleet, although the environmental organization has said that it will stop 200 nautical miles from Gaza.
But compared to eight months ago, when the previous expedition set sail in October, many things have changed. The Middle East is now even more deeply immersed in a war scenario. The hell that was once limited solely to Palestine has now been extended by Israel and the US to include Iran and Lebanon as well. The Mediterranean itself is considered a war zone; missiles are flying from Iran, and the fleet might not be stopped only by Israeli ships, but potentially by NATO vessels as well.
This was also one of the reasons why there was a lively debate within the Sumud organization. In a nine-page internal document, a faction of the coalition who had participated in the last mission, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, called for postponing the flotilla's departure and considering a change in strategy for the mission. According to the document's signatories, there was insufficient time to adequately prepare a mission of this magnitude. They argued that the escalation and unpredictability of the geopolitical situation, the increasingly high risk for participants and the potential damage to the movement as a whole and to the anti-imperialist cause were grounds for shifting the current focus on local mass actions with a greater strategic impact and initiatives that directly support people on the ground and align with the demands and needs expressed by the Palestinians themselves.
It was due to these internal arguments that the steering committee – which counts Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila among its most recognizable figures – decided to go ahead with the departure but focus this mission's efforts on mobilization actions along the route, with the awareness that mobilization will have a longer-term impact.
There is also another factor involved in their decision to go ahead with the departure now: the mission requires the commitment of many people for many weeks. People who work at sea often have other jobs during the summer; postponing the departure would have certainly meant that many would have had to give up on joining the mission entirely.
This is the largest humanitarian mission to date attempting to break the siege of Gaza. The group of volunteers also includes many doctors and nurses whose goal is to support the fragile healthcare system of the Palestinian enclave. Last time, the volunteers – including the undersigned, il manifesto journalist Lorenzo D'Agostino – were illegally arrested by the Israeli military in international waters and spent several days in prison before being deported. In March, the Israeli parliament passed a tailor-made law providing for the expedited deportation of foreign activists attempting to reach the Gaza Strip.
Originally published at https://ilmanifesto.it/la-missione-piu-grande-e-salpata-direzione-gaza on 2026-04-16