Organizers of a major international solidarity campaign have unveiled plans for the largest civilian maritime effort yet to break Israel's long-standing blockade of the Gaza Strip, with a fleet of up to 200 vessels set to depart in mid-April 2026.
The Global Sumud Flotilla (also referred to as the Freedom and Sumud Flotilla) announced the initiative in recent statements and press conferences, including one held by Turkish participants in Istanbul on Wednesday.
The mission merges elements of the ongoing Freedom Flotilla Coalition efforts with the "Sumud Convoy", building on previous attempts in 2025 that were intercepted by Israeli naval forces.
According to the group's announcements, the flotilla aims to sail from multiple Mediterranean ports, starting with Barcelona in Spain on April 12, followed by departures from ports in Italy and Tunisia in the ensuing days.
Organizers claim the large number of vessels—reported as 200 in some statements, though official sites and allied reports more consistently cite over 100 boats—will make it logistically challenging for Israeli forces to intercept the entire convoy.
The mission is expected to involve thousands of participants from approximately 150 countries, coordinated with support from more than 200 civil society organizations worldwide.
It is described as a purely people-powered, non-governmental effort with no official state or large NGO backing. A key focus of the April sailing will be humanitarian and professional aid.
The flotilla plans to carry more than 1,000 healthcare workers—including doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals—along with engineers, lawyers, war crimes investigators, and essential supplies such as life-saving medicines.
This emphasis responds to what organizers call the systematic destruction of Gaza's healthcare infrastructure amid ongoing war and restrictions on aid access.
The broader Spring 2026 Global Sumud campaign also includes overland humanitarian convoys involving hundreds of trucks, with phased departures planned to confront the blockade through multiple routes and assert Palestinians' rights to free movement and access to their territorial waters.
Organizers frame the initiative as a direct, nonviolent challenge to Israel's naval blockade, in place since 2007 and tightened further during periods of heightened war.
They say Israel has imposed an illegal siege that has contributed to severe humanitarian crises, including famine risks and mass displacement in Gaza.
The group invokes the principle of sumud (steadfastness) and calls for global solidarity to end genocide and occupation.
Press TV’s website