A flotilla carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists set sail for Gaza from Tunisia on Monday, after multiple delays, to challenge Israel’s blockade and create a humanitarian route to the territory.
“We are sending a message to the people of Gaza that you are not forgotten,” said Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg before boarding in Bizerte’s northern port.
“With governments failing to act, we have no choice but to take matters into our own hands,” she told AFP.
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Around 20 boats from Barcelona met in Bizerte, with the final vessels departing at dawn, according to an AFP journalist.
Yasemin Acar, coordinating the flotilla from the Maghreb, shared early morning departure images on Instagram.
The caption read, “The blockade of Gaza must end” and “We depart for solidarity, dignity, and justice”.
The boats moved to Bizerte after a difficult stay in Sidi Bou Said near Tunis.
The Global Sumud Flotilla reported two of its boats were targeted by drone attacks on consecutive nights last week.
Following the incidents, Tunisian authorities condemned the “premeditated aggression” and launched an investigation.
European Parliament member Rima Hassan, detained with Thunberg on the Madleen sailboat during a June Gaza attempt, expressed concerns over further attacks.
“We are preparing for various scenarios,” she noted, mentioning that prominent figures were distributed across the two main coordinating boats “to avoid concentrating all visible personalities on one vessel”.
Departures were repeatedly delayed due to security issues, boat preparations, and weather.
The flotilla, also including boats from Corsica, Sicily, and Greece, initially aimed to reach Gaza by mid-September after two failed attempts in June and July.
