Hundreds of international activists from more than 40 countries have launched the Global Sumud Flotilla, the largest coordinated effort since 2009 to break the illegal Israeli naval blockade on Gaza.

The fleet, consisting of over 40 boats carrying humanitarian aid, set sail under Palestinian flags this week with a single purpose: to deliver much-needed relief directly to Gaza and to confront what they describe as Israel’s “billion-dollar war machine.”

On the deck of the Family Boat, 28 activists received a final briefing before the dangerous final leg of their voyage. They were offered a last chance to disembark at a safe port but none chose to abandon the mission. “We will not be deterred,” Brazilian organizer Thiago Avila declared.

The mission comes nearly two years into Israel’s devastating war on Gaza, which has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, displaced millions, and plunged the besieged enclave deeper into famine and destruction. Human rights groups, UN experts, and an international commission of inquiry have openly described Israel’s actions as genocide.

European solidarity has grown in response. Spain and Italy deployed warships to monitor the flotilla’s safety after Israeli drones harassed the vessels near Greece, dropping unidentified objects on or near the ships. A suspected drone strike had already targeted the flotilla off the Tunisian coast. “They were obliged to do something,” said Paris Laftis, a 33-year-old Greek activist aboard the Fyssas, named for anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fyssas.

Meanwhile, hundreds of European parliamentarians have called for the flotilla’s protection. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, previously detained and deported by Israel for attempting to reach Gaza, warned that the Zionist regime’s smear campaigns branding the flotilla “terrorist” are laying the groundwork for further attacks.

Desperate to delegitimize the flotilla, Israeli officials have labeled it a “Hamas flotilla” and demanded activists be designated as terrorists. Far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir led calls for repression, while Israel’s navy signaled preparations to intercept the vessels. Analysts, however, suggest the presence of European warships may complicate Israel’s usual tactic of boarding boats 20 nautical miles offshore.

Activists fear a repeat of the 2010 Mavi Marmara massacre, when Israeli commandos stormed a humanitarian flotilla in international waters and killed 10 Turkish civilians, sparking global outrage. Despite attempts by Israel and its allies to whitewash that crime, UN bodies and rights groups have consistently condemned the blockade as collective punishment against Gaza’s 2 million people.

The aid carried by the flotilla is small compared to Gaza’s catastrophic needs but represents a powerful moral challenge to Israel’s siege. “If this flotilla can shed some light on what is happening there, I think it is worth the risk,” Laftis said.

British medic Ben Bouquet, who worked with the World Health Organization in Gaza, joined the mission to heal what he called a “profound moral injury” caused by the international community’s failure to stop Israel’s crimes. Aboard the Shireen Abu Akleh, named for the Palestinian journalist assassinated by Israeli forces, Bouquet said he may transfer to a Gaza-bound boat to provide direct medical aid. “The threats are high, but nothing compares to what the people of Gaza face every day,” he said.

Mechanical sabotage and drone attacks have delayed departures and forced passenger transfers, yet the determination of the activists remains unshaken. Each mile they advance toward Gaza is seen as a victory for truth, justice, and solidarity with the Palestinian people.

As the flotilla nears Gaza, the world watches. Whether Israel responds with violence or restraint, the Global Sumud Flotilla has already achieved what it set out to do: remind the world that Palestinians are not forgotten and that resistance to siege and occupation continues on land and at sea. (ILKHA)