A new aid flotilla bound for Gaza leaves Barcelona to break Israeli blockade

BEIRUT — A new flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip is set to depart from the port of Barcelona, Spain, this Sunday, aiming to break the Israeli blockade that continues to hinder the entry of humanitarian assistance into the besieged enclave.

About 30 boats are expected to leave the Mediterranean port city, loaded with medical aid and other supplies as part of the 'Global Sumud' flotilla. Other vessels are expected to join the convoy on its way to Palestine.

Previously, Israel intercepted around 40 boats assembled by the same organization last October as they attempted to reach Gaza under blockade, detaining Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and more than 450 other participants.

Israel, which controls all access to the Gaza Strip, denies depriving the nearly two million Palestinians still living in the territory devastated by two years of Israeli genocidal offensive of supplies.

However, many international humanitarian organizations say that the supplies arriving on site remain insufficient, despite a cease-fire reached on Oct. 10, 2025, which was meant to allow for a larger influx of humanitarian aid.

Liam Cunningham, the British actor who starred in the television series Game of Thrones and is a supporter of the flotilla, though he has not participated in any himself, told Reuters that "every kilogram of aid on these ships is a failure, because all the people on these ships who give their time to help their fellow human beings are doing what their governments have a legal obligation to do."

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reminded that, even in times of armed conflict, states are required under international humanitarian law to ensure that the population can access medical care in safely.

"This is a mission aimed at opening a humanitarian corridor so that aid distribution organizations can reach," Saif Abukeshak, a Palestinian activist and member of the flotilla's organizing committee, told Reuters.

Swiss and Spanish activists who participated in last year's flotilla said they were subjected to inhumane conditions while detained by Israeli security forces, an allegation rejected by a spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.