On the morning of September 11, 2025, the Mediterranean shimmered with the white sails and painted hulls of dozens of boats setting out from Sicily, Tunisia, and Spain. Their destination? The besieged Gaza Strip, where famine and devastation have gripped the population for months. This bold maritime convoy, dubbed the Global Sumud Flotilla, marks the largest international effort yet to break Israel’s long-standing blockade and deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza.
The flotilla’s departure was anything but routine. According to Eunews, the first group of boats—anchored in the Tunisian port of Sidi Bou Said—had already faced intimidation. Two vessels were struck by incendiary devices dropped from small drones in the nights leading up to their launch. Undeterred, the crews declared themselves “even more determined to continue” their mission. The air of urgency and risk was palpable as activists, politicians, and supporters gathered in ports across Sicily, including Catania, Augusta, and Syracuse, to prepare for the journey ahead.
These are not massive ships, but rather “fairly small boats, from 11 to 15 metres, sailing, civil and non-commercial,” as Italian MEP Benedetta Scuderi explained to Eunews. “The aim is to get the aid in, there is a real will to create the humanitarian corridor,” she added. On her boat alone, there are 11 people plus humanitarian supplies, all loaded the previous day in Augusta. The convoy’s mission is clear: challenge the Israeli blockade and deliver life-saving assistance to Gaza’s residents, where, as the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) confirmed on August 22, famine has taken hold in the north and threatens to spread further.
Among those on board are high-profile Italian political figures: MEPs Benedetta Scuderi and Annalisa Corrado, Senator Marco Croatti of the Five Star Movement (M5S), and Democratic Party deputy Arturo Scotto. Their participation has thrust the mission into the political spotlight back home, prompting a flurry of statements and diplomatic overtures from Rome. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Sa’ar, to request guarantees for the safety and rights of the 58 Italian citizens aboard the flotilla. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, for her part, stated she would “protect the citizens,” though Scuderi described the government’s response as “in fits and starts.” She lamented, “We are far from the diplomatic protection announced by Madrid for the Spanish citizens on board, but I hope the government will take action if something happens.”
The convoy is not just an Italian affair. In total, about 36 vessels are participating, carrying between 500 and 700 activists from over 40 countries, according to Anadolu. This makes the current effort the largest flotilla of its kind to date. Previous attempts—such as the Madleen and Handala ships in June and July 2025—were intercepted by the Israeli navy, with crews detained and expelled from Tel Aviv. The memory of the deadly 2010 Freedom Flotilla raid, in which Israeli forces killed ten activists, still looms large in the minds of participants and observers alike.
As the boats departed from Sicily’s eastern coast, they were greeted in Syracuse by a crowd of pro-Palestine supporters chanting, “Free Palestine.” The energy was electric, but so was the anxiety. The activists know the risks. Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir has issued a stark warning, vowing that Israel will “treat activists as terrorists.” That means, he said, solitary confinement without access to privileges such as TV, radio, or specific food. Scuderi called this threat “another attempt at intimidation,” stressing that “treating people who want to bring humanitarian aid as terrorists would be extremely serious behaviour.”
The flotilla’s journey is fraught with logistical and political hurdles. Some boats, after leaving Sidi Bou Said, proceeded to Bizerte in Tunisia to rendezvous with other vessels before the planned Friday push toward Gaza. The Italian boats are expected to meet up with ships coming from Spain and Tunisia, forming a united front as they attempt to break through the blockade. Each step is carefully coordinated, but the specter of interception looms large. The European Commission has publicly distanced itself from the mission, with a spokesperson warning that “actions of this kind risk escalation.”
The wider context is grim. Since October 2023, the Israeli military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 64,700 Palestinians, according to Anadolu. The enclave’s infrastructure lies in ruins, and the population faces a humanitarian catastrophe. Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice. Yet, the blockade persists, and aid deliveries remain perilously limited.
Against this backdrop, the European Union is struggling to define its stance. On September 11, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced plans to propose a partial suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement and sanctions against Israel’s most extremist ministers, including Ben-Gvir. Scuderi, however, criticized the move as “a delay that has no justification,” arguing that the proposals “fall short of what should be done.” She credited the pressure from the flotilla, grassroots mobilizations, and even a motion of no confidence against von der Leyen herself for forcing the EU to act at all.
The stakes could hardly be higher. For the activists, the mission is about more than just delivering food and medicine—it’s about challenging what they see as an unjust blockade and drawing international attention to Gaza’s plight. For the governments involved, it’s a diplomatic balancing act between supporting humanitarian ideals and avoiding a confrontation with Israel. And for the people of Gaza, the outcome could mean the difference between life and death as famine and violence continue to stalk the territory.
As the sun set over the Mediterranean, the Global Sumud Flotilla pressed onward, its small boats carrying not just supplies, but hope—and a message that, despite the risks and political obstacles, the world has not forgotten Gaza.
