Above photo: The Global Sumud Flotilla sets out on the last leg of its journey to Gaza. Mathilda Mallinson/MEE.
Boats left from Italy and the coast of North Africa in an attempt to break Israel’s siege of Gaza.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, carrying critical aid to Gaza, began the final leg of its planned route after departing ports across Tunisia this weekend.
The first of over 40 boats now at sea left Gammarth port on Saturday, with the final boat departing Bizerte on Monday morning.
One week after arriving in Tunis, 16 of the fleet’s original 24 boats resumed their journey east from Barcelona, carrying aid and international passengers in a bid to open a humanitarian corridor and break Israel’s siege on Gaza, which is illegal under international law.
At least 422 people in Gaza have died from malnutrition caused by Israel’s blockade, since famine was declared in August.
Several of the flotilla’s original boats sustained heavy storm damage before reaching Tunis, and are now unable to continue the journey.
But the flotilla, which is carrying food, water, medicine and other critical supplies, has been joined by a handful of additional boats that assembled in Tunis, where over 50 new passengers undertook mandatory non-violence training in order to join the crew.
The departure from Tunis was delayed by 11 days, after two ships were attacked by drones and a number of assembled vessels failed to meet the organisers’ safety threshold.
Irish comedian Tadhg Hickey, who is travelling on the flotilla’s biggest ship, told MEE this illustrates the “relentlessness of this mission”.
“We leave despite setbacks, whether they’re coming from within and we just need to finetune stuff, or they’re more likely coming from without – from people who just don’t want this mission to happen. The message of today is we go on regardless, on boat, unbroken,” Hickey said.
The flotilla was also delayed by logistical and bureaucratic complications, including a fuel supply issue on the penultimate day, and indecision over passenger allocations for the boats deemed fit to travel.
Hetta Heikkala, from Finland, was one of the volunteers unable to travel. “Of course I feel a lot of emotions,” she told MEE, “but it’s not about me, it’s about this mission. This mission needs to reach Gaza as soon as possible”.
The flotilla tracker, now carrying passengers from over 45 nationalities, has also added to its number 17 ships that departed Italy on Saturday and Sunday. The fleets departing from Italy and North Africa plan to merge off the coast of Malta in the next couple of days.
Over 40 boats are now en route to Gaza carrying aid provisions such as baby formula and medical supplies, as well as over 300 international participants. Among them are parliamentarians from countries including France, Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Algeria, Italy and Germany.
“We’re carrying a lot of humanitarian aid, but we’re also carrying a message of support from the peoples of the world that we are with the Palestinian people,” said Bruno Gilga, a spokesperson for the Global Sumud Flotilla.
Two independent partner ships are sailing alongside the flotilla. A legal observer ship carrying international lawyers, and Italian-based sea rescue ship, Lifesaver 2.
