Around 20 French boats set sail from Marseille on Saturday to join up with an international flotilla making a renewed effort to break an Israeli blockade and deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.
“Gaza, Marseille is with you,” shouted around one thousand people who had come to the docks to support the initiative.
The ships, mostly sailboats, set off to a round of applause and songs shortly after 5pm to join the Global Sumud Flotilla, named after a Gaza fisherman.
The international flotilla of around 100 boats, mostly setting sail from Barcelona on April 12th, will head towards Gaza around April 20th, according to the organisers. A week-long stopover is planned in southern Italy for “non-violence training.”
“The goal is to give Palestine more visibility. We’re not talking about it much right now because of the international context,” said Manon, a crew member who declined to give her full name.
In late 2025, a flotilla of about 50 boats, including political figures and activists such as Sweden’s Greta Thunberg, was boarded by the Israeli navy – a move deemed illegal by the organisers and Amnesty International.
The crew members were arrested and then expelled by Israel.
The Gaza Strip, governed by Hamas, has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007.
Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement accuse each other of violating a ceasefire that came into effect on October 10th, 2025, following two years of war.
