18 Flotilla Vessels Depart Tunisia, Greece to Break Gaza Siege

(MENAFN) Eighteen ships from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla departed on Wednesday, according to organizers, marking the beginning of a high-stakes mission to challenge Israel’s blockade on the Palestinian territory.

The convoy, which includes 12 vessels from Tunisia and six from Syros, Greece, is part of the Global Sumud Flotilla.

“The Maghreb fleet has dispatched 12 ships from Tunisia toward Gaza,” Jawaher Channa, a member of the steering committee, confirmed to media. She further noted that the coalition is preparing an additional vessel to depart later Wednesday.

Due to “technical and logistical difficulties,” all ships from Tunisia could not depart simultaneously. However, Channa stated, “All departing ships will meet in Italian waters to join the Spanish and Italian fleets.” The largest vessel, the Spanish “Family Boat,” already left the northern Tunisian port of Bizerte and has entered Italy’s territorial waters.

Channa confirmed that the rest of the Maghreb fleet will join the Spanish and Italian ships before continuing to Gaza.

Meanwhile, the Global Sumud Flotilla posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, stating that six ships from Syros, Greece, carrying 26 Greeks and 20 international activists, are en route to join the convoy.

In a related update, the International Committee to Break the Israeli Siege of Gaza stated that all vessels will meet near Malta before making their way to Gaza’s shores.

This convoy marks the largest aid flotilla to date, as its organizers push to deliver critical humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza. The situation in the enclave remains dire, with the ongoing blockade exacerbating famine conditions and widespread disease.

Since October 2023, Israeli military operations have claimed nearly 65,000 lives, the majority of them women and children. The prolonged aerial bombardment has left Gaza nearly uninhabitable.

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