Activists from Greenpeace are set to join the upcoming Global Sumud Flotilla, deploying the organisation’s vessel, the Arctic Sunrise, as part of a widening international effort to challenge Israel’s ongoing blockade of aid to Gaza.
“At this time of escalating war, triggered by US and Israeli militaries and cascading into a cycle of destruction and pain across the Middle East, we are honoured to answer the call to join the Sumud Flotilla with the Greenpeace ship,” Eva Saldaña, Executive Director of Greenpeace Spain said in a statement Sunday.
The vessel will join around 70 boats forming the flotilla, offering technical and operational maritime support as they travel across the Mediterranean.
The environmental NGO's move comes as organizers at the flotilla are pressing ahead with the final preparation of dozens of vessels carrying humanitarian supplies for Gaza. In February, GSF announced a new sea and land humanitarian aid mission.
“On April 12 we sail—bigger, stronger, and louder than ever before,” the international grassroots coalition stated during its campaign in March. The planned route includes stops in Syracuse, Italy, and Lerapetra, Greece, according to Greenpeace.
The flotilla has ramped up its fleet and personnel, launching recruitment drives for volunteers, including doctors, sailors, mechanics and captains, as preparations expanded across ports in multiple countries.
“Our teams are working at maximum capacity to prepare for this mission,” organiser Saif Abukeshek told Al Manassa.
The flotilla, which initially aimed at having at least 100 boats and over 3,000 participants, is mobilizing from multiple Mediterranean ports, with the main departures centered in Barcelona, Spain, organizers say.
On Saturday, around 20 boats departed from Marseilletoward southern Italy. Months in the making, the campaign has seen boats readied across multiple ports with artists painting them with messages of 'sumud' which translates into 'resilience', crews running sea drills and safety checks, and organizers still calling for captains to lead what they describe as their largest fleet yet.
"We’ve assembled the largest fleet dedicated to breaking the siege of Gaza. The boats are ready, sea drills are underway, safety checks are complete, and the crews are ready," GSF stated in a call for captains and sailors on March 29.
Across the movement, organizers highlighted the central role of women in operational preparations, readying boats, organizing teams, coordinating logistics, and shaping its narrative, as GSF drew a parallel with women in Gaza who continue to sustain daily life under blockade.
Previous flotilla attempts have largely been intercepted by Israel before reaching Gaza, with activists detained or arrested and facing harassment along the way. This time, organizers say the mission is bigger in scale and carries a more forceful message.
“We have seen how complicity and immunity increased, the silence of information about what's happening in Gaza, so we believe this is the right moment to mobilize. So, we are moving in this direction,” Abukeshek said.
Since the October 2023 war on Gaza, Israeli authorities have restricted humanitarian aid into the territory, saying they fear Hamas is diverting supplies to strengthen its control and military capabilities.
Separately through the Rafah crossing, Egypt sends regular convoys of humanitarian supplies including food, medical items, fuel and winter relief alongside evacuations of wounded Palestinians for treatment.
Some activists have faced detention abroad, including in Tunisia, where authorities opened an investigation into alleged financial violations linked to flotilla fundraising, according to the Associated Press.
Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila was briefly detained and interrogated in March at the Buenos Aires airport before being denied entry and deported from Argentina, activists reported. Avila, who has previously been detained twice during flotilla trips to Gaza, said he headed to Barcelona earlier this week.
In early June 2025, the Israeli military intercepted the aid vessel Madleen, detaining 12 activists, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who were later processed for deportation.
In October 2025, hundreds of international activists participating in the GSF, who attempted to sail toward Gaza, were intercepted and detained before deportations began.
Australian Film-maker Juliet Lamont reported sexual assault, deprivation of medication, and physical and emotional abuse while in Israeli custody. As she joined the current flotilla, she is weaning off blood pressure medication in preparation for possible harsh treatment, she told The Guardian in a recent interview.
Strikes in Gaza have destroyed infrastructure, with recent damage to the southern desalination electricity line leaving 500,000 people with reduced access to drinking water, according to a recent UN situation report.
An estimated 67,000 displaced people are currently living in 83 collective emergency shelters managed by UNRWA, which has many facilities located within the Israeli‑militarised zone, where access is restricted and subject to Israeli approval or coordination.
Humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip continues under tight restrictions and remains far below what is needed to meet civilian needs as Israel issued a new regulation in December 2025 banning 37 international NGOs from operating in Gaza and the West Bank, including Médecins Sans Frontières.
On March 28, supporters held a demonstration in Marseille in solidarity with Gaza and the Thousands Madleen flotilla before its planned departure, while in London on March 28, 2026, tens of thousands of people marched through central London protesting against far‑right politics and carried pro-Palestinian flags.
“We feel that when things get harder and more risky, it is a reason for more pushing," Abukeshek said. A public solidarity gathering is scheduled for April 11 in Barcelona ahead of the launch of the flotilla.
