The Global Sumud Flotilla — named for the Arabic word meaning steadfastness, a principle of unyielding resistance — is pressing across the Mediterranean toward Tunisia, part of a bid to break Israel’s 18-year naval blockade of Gaza.

More than 50 vessels carrying humanitarian aid and hundreds of activists are expected to join the mission before it turns east toward the besieged enclave.

Organizers say the mission is “entirely peaceful, lawful, and unstoppable,” embodying the very spirit of Sumud despite threats from Israeli officials to intercept the ships.

Departing Menorca and Barcelona earlier this week, the flotilla — now joined by vessels from Tunisia, Italy, and beyond — is expected to expand to over 50 ships before sailing toward the besieged enclave.

Activists stress the mission is urgent: Gaza has entered its 700th day of devastation, with more than 64,000 Palestinians killed in Israel’s war and the UN warning of famine across the strip.

Among those on board are French parliamentarian Marie Mesmeur of La France Insoumise, who described the mission as “the largest peaceful popular initiative to support Palestinians in Gaza” and urged President Emmanuel Macron to recognize Israel’s actions as genocide.

Mandla Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela, joined the Tunisian leg of the journey, declaring: “The Palestinians are experiencing a far worse form of apartheid than we ever experienced.”

International voices have amplified support. Colombian President Gustavo Petro praised participants for choosing “the most difficult and dangerous path: that of action in the face of brutal violence.”

Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, confirmed the flotilla “fully complies with international law,” while dockworkers in Genoa pledged to block shipments to Israel if the convoy is attacked.

The flotilla also includes Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who denounced what she called “genocidal political propaganda” by Israeli officials seeking to intimidate participants. Irish actor Liam Cunningham, Spanish actor Eduardo Fernández, and former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau are among cultural figures lending visibility to the mission.

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, called the activists “terrorists,” prompting outrage from organizers, who denounced Israel for criminalizing humanitarian solidarity.

Previous flotillas, including the 2010 Mavi Marmara raid that killed 10 activists, were violently blocked. More recent attempts in 2024 and 2025 were met with drone strikes and mass detentions in international waters.

This time, organizers insist, the world is watching. “Our mission is humanitarian, lawful, and unstoppable,” the coalition said in a statement. “We cannot accept living in comfort while the people of Gaza remain under blockade and genocide.”

As the flotilla edges closer to Gaza, its success may not only be measured by whether it reaches the enclave, but by how it forces governments and publics to confront the reality of Israel’s siege.