After a weather-related delay, an international flotilla carrying aid and activists bound for Gaza has resumed its journey from Barcelona, setting off against the backdrop of intensified Israeli strikes in the Palestinian enclave.
A flotilla carrying international activists and humanitarian aid set off from Barcelona on Monday evening in what organisers are billing as the largest seaborne mission yet to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza.
The convoy – dubbed the Global Sumud Flotilla – had first attempted to leave on Sunday under blue skies and the applause of thousands gathered on the docks of Barcelona’s old port. But strong winds, gusting at more than 56 km/h, forced many of the smaller vessels to turn back.
With calmer seas, the boats slipped out after sunset on Monday evening.
Organisers say participants from 44 countries are on board, with Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and Barcelona’s former mayor Ada Colau among those setting sail.
The flotilla has also attracted support from Academy Award-winning actress Susan Sarandon and Irish actor Liam Cunningham, best known for his role in Game of Thrones.
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Famine relief
It was not immediately clear how many vessels made it out on Monday, but around 20 boats were originally expected to depart from Barcelona.
Dozens more are due to join the convoy from across the Mediterranean later this week, making it the most ambitious attempt in years to breach the Israeli naval cordon around Gaza.
The mission comes against the backdrop of mounting alarm over food shortages inside the territory.
Earlier this month, experts from the UN-backed global body that monitors famine and food insecurity warned that 500,000 people across Gaza face catastrophic hunger, with famine already gripping Gaza City.
Nearly 340 Palestinians, including 124 children, have reportedly died from malnutrition since the conflict erupted almost two years ago.
Israel has consistently blocked previous flotillas, insisting its naval blockade is a security measure aimed at preventing Hamas from importing weapons.
The Israeli military is widely expected to intercept the latest mission before it reaches the enclave.
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Escalation in Gaza
As the boats were leaving Spain, the conflict inside Gaza intensified. Israeli air and artillery strikes killed at least 31 people on Monday, according to local health officials, more than half of them women and children.
The bombardment focused on Gaza City, declared a combat zone by Israel last week, with residents reporting the use of explosive-laden robots to demolish buildings on the outskirts and in the crowded Jabaliya refugee camp.
“Another merciless night in Gaza City,” said Saeed Abu Elaish, a medic sheltering in the northwest of the city.
Hospitals said at least 13 of the dead were in Gaza City itself, which has already endured multiple raids since Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023 triggered the war.
The conflict has now claimed more than 63,000 lives, according to Gaza health authorities.
Israel maintains that it targets militants and accuses Hamas of embedding fighters in civilian neighbourhoods, a charge Hamas denies.
Despite the risks of interception, campaigners say the Global Sumud Flotilla is as much a symbol of solidarity as it is an attempt to deliver supplies.
