Departing from Barcelona, Spain, yesterday, the “Global Resilience Fleet” set sail, carrying humanitarian supplies and activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. This initiative aims to break the blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza and is organized under the motto “As the world remains silent, we sail.”
The organizers announced that this mission represents the largest maritime effort of its kind from Spain, comprising approximately 50 ships laden with essential humanitarian aid.
The fleet launched from Barcelona’s port, featuring significant participation from various activists and notable international figures. It includes dozens of boats and vessels originating from Tunisia, Italy, Greece, and other European countries, transporting humanitarian assistance and hundreds of activists from 44 different nations. Additionally, over 30,000 individuals participated in supporting events to mark the fleet’s departure.
This civic initiative, the largest in recent years, has been coordinated by several international organizations, including the “Freedom Flotilla Coalition” and “Global Movement to Gaza”, with the goal of establishing maritime humanitarian corridors to aid the residents of Gaza amidst significant risks of famine and shortages of essential supplies.
Among the prominent figures aboard the fleet is Greta Thunberg, who has called for an end to what she describes as the “global complicity with a state committing genocide,” alongside Spanish actor Eduard Fernández.
The initiative’s organizers have emphasized that this fleet’s departure serves as a direct response to the international community’s silence regarding the ongoing blockade. They assert that civilians in Gaza have a right to receive aid unimpeded, and that the blockade constitutes a violation of international law and fundamental human rights.
Thunberg stated to the press, “These ships aim to reach Gaza, deliver humanitarian aid, proclaim the opening of a humanitarian corridor, and ultimately break the illegal and inhumane Israeli blockade permanently.”
The 22-year-old activist expressed that this initiative, named “Global Resilience Fleet,” is “different” from previous attempts because “we now have more ships, and our numbers have increased; this mobilization is historic.”
Brazilian activist Tiago Avila remarked to reporters in Barcelona last week that “this will be the largest solidarity mission in history,” as it involves a greater number of participants and vessels than any previous efforts to reach Gaza.