Barcelona is becoming a global symbol of solidarity with Gaza this weekend with the departure of the Global Sumud flotilla from the city's port. More than 20 boats with volunteers of 44 nationalities on board will set sail for the Strip on Sunday in what aims to be the most ambitious international mission to date in support of the Gazan people.
The purpose of the mission, on which thousands of volunteers have been working for weeks, is to enable a maritime humanitarian corridor and denounce the Israeli"genocide" in Gaza, which according to the United Nations is already facing a situation of famine after 22 months of"illegal siege", in the words of the organizers.
The twenty vessels departing from Barcelona will be joined by another twenty from Italian ports and another two dozen from Tunisia, which will be out at sea in an attempt to reach Gaza and"break the blockade" preventing the entry of humanitarian aid, Saif Abukeshek, spokesperson and member of the Global Sumud Flotilla coordination group, explained to EL PAÍS.
Activist Greta Thunberg will embark on Sunday in Barcelona, and international figures such as actress Susan Sarandon and Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham will support the flotilla in the port. Former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau will also sail on one of the boats, which are expected to join those leaving from other parts of the Mediterranean on September 4 to continue the journey together to the Strip.
The city's community has embraced the mission. Associations, NGOs, and unions have supported the organization by providing meeting spaces, lodging, and preparing meals for the volunteers, who came from 44 countries. At least 26,000 people from around the world volunteered to travel aboard the fleet."Barcelona's civil society has stepped up. They've offered us 500 houses, sports centers, and social centers," says Abukeshek, a Spanish-Palestinian who arrived in Spain 23 years ago.
The president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, celebrated yesterday that the flotilla departed from the Catalan capital:"I think it says a lot about Catalan society the series of mobilizations that are being prepared this weekend, with a group of boats that will leave the Port of Barcelona, precisely to show solidarity and condemn this genocide that exists in Gaza," he said before starting the meeting of the Government in Arnes (Tarragona).
The notion that what is happening in Gaza constitutes genocide is gaining ground in several European countries, and especially in Spain, which has contributed to Barcelona being chosen as the port for the flotilla's departure. Abukeshek also stated that ports"must stop being transit points for weapons and defend human rights," referring to the fact that ships operating on routes transporting military equipment from the US to Israel have stopped in the city.
A busy schedule of cultural and political activities and demonstrations will precede the flotilla's departure this weekend, aiming to amplify the campaign's message. The Moll de la Fusta will host the"Days for Palestine" from Friday to Sunday, which include free concerts on Saturday by artists such as Palestinian artist Marwan and Macaco.
Carrying a banner reading"Catalonia with Palestine," Paula Segarra, 63, and several friends went to the Moll de la Fusta on Friday at the start of the protests."It's important to take to the streets to say that we don't agree with the genocide. They're starving them to death with total impunity," she said.
Abukeshek explained that the flotilla began organizing almost two months ago, when it became clear that international pressure on Israel needed to increase. “When politicians are silent, when they fail in their role of defending people's basic rights, civil society must rise up,” he said. “When natural disasters like earthquakes occur, the whole world rallies to help. And here we are witnessing a catastrophe caused by humans, and the world stands by and watches. How is it possible that no authority is capable of sending its armed ships and saying ‘enough is enough’?”
The fleet begins its journey across the Mediterranean at a delicate moment in the 22-month Israeli siege of Gaza. The army plans to take control of Gaza City in the coming days, but must first expel the crowds living in makeshift camps that have sprung up among the rubble. Israeli troops have been concentrating the Gazan population in an ever-shrinking area along the Mediterranean coast, which amounts to no more than 14% of the Strip's surface, according to UN agency estimates. The remainder is occupied by troops or declared a combat zone by Israel. The forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of people will reduce the available space and further increase population concentration.
The activists traveling aboard the flotilla—along with journalists who will report on events during the journey—participated in training sessions this Thursday and Friday in Barcelona to learn how to react to a possible boarding of the boats by Israeli authorities. Members of the Freedom Flotilla—including Thunberg—who attempted to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza last June, helped train the activists who will embark this Sunday.
The Freedom Flotilla was intercepted on June 8 by the Israeli military. Of the 12 activists traveling aboard the Madleen, the ship leading the expedition, four, including the Swedish activist, agreed to be deported immediately. The remaining activists—including Thiago Ávila, who told this newspaper about his experience and is set to embark again on Sunday—refused to sign their voluntary deportation and were arrested and brought before a court to ratify the expulsion orders. Under Israeli law, once a person receives a deportation order, they are detained for 72 hours or more before being expelled from the country.
The death toll in Gaza since the attacks of October 7, 2023, has risen to 62,895, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health. Israeli army attacks have already destroyed, in whole or in part, 94% of hospitals, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
