Activists wave Palestinian flags as they gather to support a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid and activists committed to attempting to ‘break the siege of Gaza’ in Ajaccio, on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica, on Sep. 12, 2025. (Illustrative photo PASCAL POCHARD/AFP)
A flotilla of 10 vessels set off for Gaza from the southern Italian island of Sicily on Sept. 27, 2025, with 60 people on board including elected officials from nine nations, said organizers.
A statement from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) and the Thousand Madleens to Gaza (TMTG) said they intended to "break the illegal Israeli blockade" to deliver aid to the Palestinian territory.
"For the most part, our boats carry medical supplies, dry food and school equipment, as this was highlighted as some of the biggest priorities by Palestinians on the ground," they added.
They intend to join the Global Sumud Flotilla which is also bound for Gaza carrying aid supplies. On board are elected officials from the European Parliament and from countries including Belgium, France, Ireland, Spain and the United States.
On Wednesday, the United Nations called for an investigation into alleged drone attacks off Greece against the Global Sumud Flotilla, which activists blamed on Israel.
Artist and activist Adèle Haenel boarded the Global Sumud Flotilla in Tunis in early September. According to its organizers, the flotilla, which describes itself as "the world's largest maritime mission to break the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza," comprises some 50 boats carrying several hundred activists from more than 40 countries. In a video posted on her Instagram account, she stated that she "had to leave the maritime mission after the engine of the boat" she was on "broke down." She reiterated calls to "pressure" governments to "put an end to the genocide" in the Palestinian enclave.
The flotilla had reported on Friday damage to the "Family Boat," forcing the organizers to redistribute its passengers across other boats. The Franco-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan communicated via her Instagram account that she had also switched boats. "I would have loved to have gone all the way to the end of this mission," explains Adèle Haenel, adding that "what matters is that ... The comrades who are on the sea bring humanitarian aid and break the blockade."
A collective of artists and personalities has also asked the French and Belgian governments for "diplomatic protection" of the flotilla, which claims to have been the subject of drone attacks on its way.
French MEP Mélissa Camara called on EU member states to protect the fleets. "I want to say to the governments, the French government for example, that we are here ... because of their inaction. We are risking our lives because they will do nothing to stop this genocide and let Israel destroy the lives of 2 million Gazans, destroy the West Bank," said French MP Alma Dufour, who is also taking part in the flotilla.
Humanitarian convoy reaches Rmeish, Ain Ibl, Dibil despite obstacles
