A humanitarian flotilla led by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) set sail from Sicilian port on Sunday, aiming to breach Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and deliver needed aid while drawing global attention to what organisers call a deepening humanitarian catastrophe.
The 20-metre vessel Madleen—named after a Palestinian fisher—carries a “limited amount, though symbolic” cargo of relief supplies and a dozen international volunteers.
Those on board the vessel include Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Irish actor Liam Cunningham of Game of Thrones fame, French-Palestinian European Parliament member Rima Hassan (who has been barred from entering Israel) and Brazilian campaigner Thiago Avila.
“We are doing this because no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying, because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity,” a teary-eyed Thunberg said at a quayside press conference.
“No matter how dangerous this mission is, it is nowhere near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the lives being genocised,” she added.
Cunningham said before boarding, “The moment we internalise fear, we legitimise injustice. We sail to insist there is another way.”
Israel has rejected genocide allegations against it as an antisemitic “blood libel”, according to AP.
The FFC, a long-standing alliance, formed in 2006, stressed that the voyage is “not charity” but “a non-violent, direct action to challenge Israel’s illegal siege and escalating war crimes.”
The crew expects the passage to Gaza to take a week—weather and interceptions permitting.
Many X users hailed the crew’s courage, calling them role models. One widely shared post with over 3,000 likes read: “If my German-born Jewish holocaust surviving mother were alive today, she would be on the boat. Her spirit is with you, protecting you. Never again meant never again.”
Israel says the blockade is essential to stop weapons reaching Hamas.
The government also insists the embargo pressures the militant group to free hostages taken during the 7 October 2023 assault that killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 abducted; 58 captives remain, 23 believed alive.
Gaza’s health ministry puts Palestinian deaths from Israel’s subsequent offensive at more than 52,000, mostly women and children.
United Nations agencies warn the territory’s two million residents risk famine unless aid increases.
Mid-May saw Israel relax restrictions, allowing limited deliveries under UN supervision, yet aid groups say continuing checkpoints, looting and law-and-order breakdown make distribution “extremely difficult”, according to AP.
The latest voyage comes after a failed flotilla attempt in May, when another FFC vessel, the Conscience, was struck by two drones in international waters near Malta.
Ávila framed the latest voyage as part of “a broader strategy,” pointing to an upcoming “Global March to Gaza” through Egypt demanding an end to the offensive and open borders.
Madleen’s crew acknowledged interception remains likely: Israel has halted multiple flotillas since 2010’s deadly Mavi Marmara raid.
The Mavi Marmara raid was a military operation by Israel against six civilian ships of the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla" on 31 May 2010 in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea.
Whether the flotilla reaches Gaza or not, its organisers contend the journey itself spotlights what one supporter on X called “the silence of the entire world”—and, they hope, rekindles pressure for an enduring humanitarian corridor to the besieged enclave.
