Gaza, MINA – Pro-Palestinian activists and civil society organizations are preparing to launch a major maritime initiative to break Israel’s 18-year blockade on the Gaza Strip, organizing a fleet of 200 vessels scheduled to depart on April 12.
The campaign, bringing together the “Freedom Flotilla” and the “Sumud Convoy,” aims to overwhelm Israeli naval forces with the unprecedented size of the flotilla, making it difficult to intercept all vessels, according to organizers.
Bulent Yildirim, head of the Turkish IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed on Thursday that donations are being collected from Europe, Asia, Africa, Türkiye, the Gulf, and worldwide to fund the vessels. He emphasized that “there is no option other than the sea” in challenging the blockade.
The initiative has secured support from approximately 200 civil society organizations, including the Mavi Marmara Freedom and Solidarity Association, IHH, and the Palestine Support Platform. The convoy is set to sail from Mediterranean ports in Spain, Italy, and Tunisia, with thousands of participants from 150 countries expected to join.
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Beyond humanitarian aid delivery, the mission aims to transport healthcare workers, teachers, infrastructure and environmental engineering teams, lawyers, and war crimes investigators into Gaza. More than 1,000 doctors, nurses, and medical personnel are reportedly preparing to participate.
Yildirim criticized the humanitarian situation in Gaza, stating: “They are obstructing aid and not allowing it in. Instead, they provide low-calorie food, effectively condemning people to hunger and disease.”
He added: “We must not assume that Israel will prolong this situation indefinitely. At any moment, it could resume large-scale massacres. We must remain vigilant… For this reason, resuming maritime movement in the Mediterranean, considered a key step toward a ceasefire, is critically important.”
The announcement follows an incident last October when Israeli forces seized 41 vessels carrying approximately 400 participants from the Global Resilience Flotilla heading to Gaza. The flotilla reported being attacked by about 10 Israeli ships in international waters and issued a distress call, describing the escalation as a “war crime.”
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That incident sparked international protests and condemnations, with organizations including Amnesty International calling for protection of the flotilla and the United Nations describing the attack as “unacceptable.”
This marks the first attempt to organize such a large number of vessels simultaneously toward Gaza, home to approximately 2.4 million Palestinians, in a collective effort to challenge the blockade.
The Freedom Flotilla first attempted to break the blockade in 2010, when Israeli forces intercepted the Mavi Marmara vessel, resulting in the deaths and injuries of several Turkish activists and civilians. That incident triggered a diplomatic crisis between Türkiye and Israel, eventually resolved with an Israeli apology and compensation to victims’ families.[]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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