Climate activist Greta Thunberg has joined a flotilla of boats carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza, which set sail from Barcelona on Sunday in an attempt to breach Israel’s longstanding naval blockade of the enclave.
Thousands of supporters gathered at Barcelona’s port to see off the vessels, waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Free Palestine” and “It’s not a war, it’s a genocide.” Addressing the crowd, Thunberg said the mission sought to challenge what she described as an “extremely violent, business-as-usual international system” that was failing to uphold international law.
The Swedish campaigner previously joined a similar effort in June, when activists attempted to deliver aid by sea. That mission was intercepted by Israeli forces, the boat seized, and the participants deported. Israel maintains that the blockade, imposed in 2007, is necessary to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas, branding such flotilla efforts as propaganda stunts.
Organisers of the current mission have criticised world leaders for failing to pressure Israel to allow life-saving aid into Gaza. Yasemin Acar, a member of the flotilla’s steering committee, said additional boats would depart from Greece, Italy, and Tunisia to join the mission. In Genoa, Italy, around 250 metric tons of food have been collected by local groups and residents, with part of it already en route to Gaza via Sicily.
The departure comes as Gaza faces what humanitarian agencies describe as catastrophic conditions. A global hunger monitor recently declared parts of the enclave to be in famine. According to Gaza health officials, more than 63,000 people—mostly civilians—have been killed in Israel’s military campaign since the war erupted on October 7, 2023, after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing over 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
Organisers said they hoped the flotilla would not only deliver aid but also draw international attention to what they called the collective punishment of Gaza’s population through the blockade and ongoing military campaign.
Melissa Enoch
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