Tunisian supporters gather to welcome the Global Sumud Flotilla in Sidi Bou Saïd, near Tunis, Tunisia, on Sept. 7, 2025. (Credit: Jihed Abidellawi/Reuters.)
More than a thousand people, including MEP Rima Hassan, welcomed the flotilla in Tunis on Sunday after its departure from Barcelona, carrying activists and humanitarian aid for Gaza.
Several boats were scheduled to leave Tunis on Sunday to join the “Global Sumud Flotilla,” but their departure was postponed to Wednesday for “technical and logistical reasons,” according to the organizers.
The flotilla says its aim is to “open a humanitarian corridor and put an end to the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people.”
In Sidi Bou Saïd, near Tunis, more than a thousand people gathered, carrying Palestinian flags, banners in support of the flotilla, and flares, to enthusiastically welcome the boats.
During a press conference on the beach, Hassan emphasized “the role played today by the people in the face of the cowardice of states that prevent any solidarity with the Palestinian people.”
“When we were on the Madleen, we were intercepted by dozens of soldiers, and we made the promise as soon as we arrived to send as many boats back out as possible,” added the MEP.
The sailing yacht Madleen, with 12 activists on board, had been intercepted on June 9 by Israeli forces about 185 kilometers west of Gaza’s coast.
“We all know why we are here. On the other side of the sea, there is an ongoing genocide, a mass famine caused by Israel’s killing machine,” said Swedish activist Greta Thunberg alongside Rima Hassan, just after arriving by boat from Barcelona.
Organizers told AFP that 130 people from different countries have registered to board flotilla boats due to depart from Tunisia.
The United Nations declared a state of famine in Gaza in August, warning that 500,000 people are in a “catastrophic” situation.
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