The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) — the largest maritime mission to Gaza since Israel’s illegal siege began 18 years ago — officially set sail from Barcelona, Catalonia, on September 2.

The flotilla of more than 50 ships is carrying much-needed humanitarian aid and attempting to open a “people’s humanitarian corridor” amid Israel’s illegal siege.

Since October 7, 2023, more than 62,000 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced. Israel is deliberately starving the population and attempting to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip.

Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, a member of the GSF steering committee, posted a video on social media prior to the flotilla’s departure saying: “The question we should be asking ourselves is not why we are doing this, but why is this mission needed? Why are our governments failing to step up and uphold international law?

“We don’t just need aid and food to be delivered to Gaza,” she said, and called for an end to Israel’s occupation, apartheid system and genocide of Palestinians. 

Thunberg linked her climate activism to the opposition to genocide, saying that the GSF’s work is based on justice, freedom, equality, liberation and decolonisation. 

“We cannot have any climate justice without social justice,” she said. “We cannot pretend to select a few people whose future we care about, while we ignore the sufferings of countless people today; not least in Palestine, but also [in places] such as the Congo, Sudan, Afghanistan and many, many other places all over the world.”

Saif Abukeshek, a Palestinian activist based in Barcelona and fellow member of the GSF steering committee, told the Barcelona media conference on August 31: “The whole movement is inspired by the Palestinian resistance. Historically, Palestinians have been leading nonviolent and disobedience mobilisations for so many years.

“We are not here to save Palestinians; neither to teach them about nonviolence nor tell them what type of resistance they have to choose. Any people who live under occupation have the right to choose how they want to resist that occupation.”

Yasmin Acar, who was aboard the Gaza Freedom Flotilla’s Madleen in June when it was illegally boarded and 12 activists taken hostage by the Israel Defence Forces, told the media conference that 30,000 people registered to participate in the GSF. There are 44 delegations taking part and more vessels will join the flotilla from Greece, Italy and Tunis.

Bad weather forced five smaller boats to return to port on September 1, but the GSF  confirmed that “everyone is safe and accounted for, and the mission continues”.

“We remain steadfast in our commitment to reach Gaza … and to stand united in breaking Israel’s illegal siege with a humanitarian and nonviolent mission.”

[Follow the flotilla’s progress at globalsumudflotilla.org.]

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