Largest Gaza aid flotilla sets sail as famine deepens

Several Gaza-bound boats carrying humanitarian aid set sail on Sunday, aiming to break Israel’s ongoing siege that has pushed the Palestinian enclave into a deadly, man-made famine.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, named after the Arabic word for “perseverance”, is the largest civilian aid convoy since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023.

More than 300 pro-Palestinian activists from 44 countries have joined the mission, including Portuguese left-wing politician Mariana Mortagua and Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.

Around 20 boats departed from several Spanish ports, loaded with food, medicine and essential supplies for Gaza’s population.

The International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza, a UK-based campaign group, called for global support.

“The Sumud Flotilla is not merely a set of boats carrying symbolic aid and activists from around the world,” the committee said in a statement on Saturday. 

“It is a global act of protest and a strong humanitarian message against the silence of the international community in the face of Israeli crimes.

“It affirms that the will of free peoples is stronger than genocide and starvation, and that every ship setting sail carries a cry of hope for besieged Gaza and a global voice demanding the lifting of the blockade and an immediate end to injustice.”

The committee also confirmed that additional boats will depart from Tunisia next week to join the flotilla from Barcelona.

“Each ship in the Sumud Flotilla carries a clear message to the world: the will of the people cannot be besieged, and the voice of freedom will find its way forward,” said Zaher Birawi, chairman of the committee.

“This is not just a sea voyage, but a humanitarian act of resistance against occupation - one that exposes its crimes and strikes against the wall of silence, complicity and death.”

Siege 

Israel has maintained a strict land, sea and air blockade on Gaza since 2007, tightly controlling and severely restricting the entry of goods, aid and people.

Since October 2023, when Israel launched its war on Gaza, the siege has intensified further, pushing the population into a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.

Last week, famine was officially declared in Gaza following months of severe food shortages. 

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At least 340 people, including 124 children, have died from malnutrition during the genocide, according to the Palestinian health ministry. 

The situation remains dire. Since the famine was declared on 22 August, conditions have only worsened.

On Friday, Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha), warned: “We are on a descent into a massive famine.”

“We need massive amounts of food getting into the strip and safely distributed across the Gaza Strip,” he said.

Two aid flotillas organised by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) attempted to reach Gaza in June and July but were intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters.

Activists on board were detained and later deported.

In May, another FFC vessel sailing towards Gaza was struck by two Israeli drones near Maltese waters.

In 2010, Israeli forces stormed the Mavi Marmara, part of a similar flotilla mission. Israeli forces killed 10 activists during the raid.