The Global Sumud Flotilla, a humanitarian fleet destined for Gaza, will include around 50 boats carrying humanitarian aid and hundreds of people on board, including activists, politicians, artists, and other public figures from 44 countries.
The first 30 ships depart on Sunday from Barcelona, in northeastern Spain, with more joining on September 4 in Tunis, coming from various Mediterranean ports.
The organization anticipates that the journey to Gaza will take close to two weeks.
“This will be the largest solidarity mission in history, as it has more people and more boats than all previous attempts [by flotillas] combined to reach Gaza,” said one of the spokespersons for the Global Sumud Flotilla, Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila, at a press conference last week.
Three Portuguese individuals are participating in the Global Sumud Flotilla: the deputy Mariana Mortágua from the Left Bloc, activist Miguel Duarte, and actress Sofia Aparício.
The Left Bloc deputy Mariana Mortágua, activist Miguel Duarte, and actress Sofia Aparício are part of the Humanitarian Flotilla departing this week for Gaza, aiming to deliver aid to the population and break the Israeli blockade.
Lusa | 07:14 – 26/08/2025
Miguel Duarte, who has been dedicated to migrant rights and rescuing people in the Mediterranean, told Lusa that this initiative could be “a turning point in the history of these flotillas to Gaza” from the Mediterranean, already spanning nearly two decades.
“It is by far the largest and I think it is by far the most likely to actually succeed in getting humanitarian aid to Gaza,” he stated.
Besides its size, the Global Sumud Flotilla is expected to have unprecedented visibility due to its inclusion of “people from many countries and people with platforms” such as “deputies and MEPs, well-known activists, film actors,” he emphasized.
The delegations from various countries include politicians and other public figures familiar to their respective publics, with confirmed attendees including globally recognized names like Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and American actress Susan Sarandon.
“The visibility is very high, and this gives us protection, for now. Because what we are going to do is challenge the illegal blockade that Israeli forces maintain over the people of Gaza,” said Miguel Duarte, who reminded that “many other flotillas, almost all, were intercepted and the crews were illegally captured.”
“Committing these illegalities, which are often brutal and violent, becomes more difficult with many eyes” around the world watching, he added.
Miguel Duarte affirmed that beyond the goal of delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza and exposing the population’s plight, this initiative hopes that various governments, such as the Portuguese, “take all necessary diplomatic efforts” to ensure the safety of those on board, and also “the safety of the humanitarian aid intended to alleviate some of the suffering of people facing genocide in Gaza.”
“At another level, we hope the Portuguese government cuts diplomatic and commercial ties with the State of Israel, imposes immediate sanctions on the State of Israel, and also ends the shameful agreements that exist between the Portuguese Armed Forces and Israeli arms companies, which by producing these weapons, themselves drive the genocide in Gaza”, said Miguel Duarte, emphasizing this demand for all Western governments.
The activist stated that there is an unprecedented mobilization of civil society worldwide concerning Gaza, which has not been matched by governmental responses.
“What the genocide in Gaza has shown to global civil society is precisely how undemocratic the societies we live in are,” he remarked.
“Western governments not only remain silent, but actively contribute to and benefit from this genocide,” said Miguel Duarte. “Therefore, it is necessary to state, unequivocally, that the Portuguese State and European states are accomplices in this genocide,” he added.
The leader of the Left Bloc announced the intention to head for Gaza. Mortágua has faced criticism and has defended herself by highlighting the importance of humanitarian aid.
Andrea Pinto with Lusa | 09:42 – 28/08/2025
The Global Sumud Flotilla is an initiative of various non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including the Freedom Flotilla, the Maghreb Sumud Flotilla, the Sumud Nusantara convoy, and the Global Gaza Movement, as well as other international organizations.
Each of the fleet’s ships departing from Barcelona on Sunday will carry experienced crew members, as well as journalists, doctors, politicians, and activists.
Alongside the hundreds of people on board, more than 30,000 individuals from various countries have volunteered and supported the logistics and dissemination of the Global Sumud Flotilla, with “civil society acting at a time when leaders are failing in their basic role to defend Human Rights,” the organization noted.
Israel has been conducting a military offensive in the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Islamist group Hamas on October 7, 2023, which resulted in about 1,200 deaths and 250 hostages.
According to figures released by the Palestinian enclave’s authorities, the offensive launched by Israel in Gaza has already caused over 63,000 deaths.
On August 22, the United Nations officially declared a famine in the city of Gaza, after experts warned that 500,000 people are in a catastrophic situation.
