Over the past week, European boats arrived in Tunisian waters to join their Maghreb counterparts before continuing toward Gaza.
Sixteen ships have set sail from Tunisian ports as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla for Gaza, aiming to break Israel’s illegal blockade on the territory and deliver humanitarian aid.
“The fleet that departed Barcelona is already at sea, and the Tunisian boats are now setting sail in stages. They will converge on the water and continue together to meet the Italian and Greek ships,” the mission said on its official Instagram page on Monday.
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Khaled Boujemaa, a member of the Maghreb contingent of the Global Sumud Flotilla, told the Anadolu news agency that 11 of the ships departed from Bizerte Port in northern Tunisia from Saturday evening until late Sunday.
Three ships set sail from Gammarth Port in the capital, as two others left Sidi Bou Said Port near Tunis, Boujemaa added.
Vessels from Italy, Spain
On Sunday, spokesperson Ghassan al-Hanshiri also told Anadolu that two ships left from Gammarth Port toward Gaza and “a third Tunisian ship was preparing to depart shortly,” noting that “a total of eight Tunisian ships are currently docked at Gammarth.”
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He pointed out that other ships remain in Sidi Bou Said Port, while vessels from Italy and Spain have already departed, and all will meet in the Mediterranean on their way to Gaza.
On Saturday, the very first vessel of the mission departed Tunisia’s Bizerte Port, in addition to 18 boats from Sicily’s Augusta Port, toward Gaza.
According to an Anadolu correspondent and flotilla spokesperson, the flotilla includes dozens of ships and hundreds of participants from 47 Arab and Western countries, among them prominent politicians, artists, and parliamentarians.
‘Built from Earlier Efforts’
The initiative began last month, with ships departing from Barcelona, Spain, and Genoa, Italy. Over the past week, European boats arrived in Tunisian waters to join their Maghreb counterparts before continuing toward Gaza.
Organizers described the mission as unprecedented, contrasting it with previous attempts involving single boats that were intercepted by Israel and their passengers deported.
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“The Global Sumud Flotilla is a single, coordinated mission built from earlier efforts: the Global Movement to Gaza, Maghreb Sumud, Sumud Nusantara, and the Freedom Flotilla Coalition,” the mission stated. “Together they link marches, convoys, and sea missions into one flotilla.”
This convoy is the largest of its kind, aiming to challenge the blockade and deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, where famine conditions have taken hold under Israel’s months-long closure of all crossings.
Ongoing Genocide
Starting on October 7, 2023, the Israeli military, with American support, launched a genocidal war against the people of Gaza. This campaign has so far resulted in the deaths of more than 64,900 Palestinians, with more than 164,000 wounded. The vast majority of the population has been displaced, and the destruction of infrastructure is unprecedented since World War II. Thousands of people are still missing.
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In addition to the military assault, the Israeli blockade has caused a man-made famine, leading to the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians—mostly children—with hundreds of thousands more at risk.
Despite widespread international condemnation, little has been done to hold Israel accountable. The nation is currently under investigation for genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are officially wanted by the International Criminal Court.
(PC, Anadolu)
