In July 2025, a new international maritime initiative was launched: the Global Sumud Flotilla. It was formed by four major coalitions: the Global Campaign to Return to Palestine, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the Maghreb Sumud Convoy, and the Southeast Asian Nusantara Sumud Initiative.

The Global Sumud Flotilla is set to depart on Aug. 31. Its goal is clear: to break Israel's illegal blockade on Gaza, to deliver urgent humanitarian aid, and to expose the genocidal war waged on Palestinians.

The flotilla is composed of dozens of small civilian vessels carrying activists, parliamentarians, doctors, and trade unionists, alongside humanitarian cargo. More than 39 national delegations have pledged participation, making this the largest people-led maritime effort in solidarity with Gaza since the 2010 Mavi Marmara.

Behind every flotilla passenger lies a story of conviction. Greek trade unionists brought banners pledging workers' solidarity with Palestine.

Doctors from Spain and Italy carried vital medicines banned from entering Gaza.

Parliamentarians from South Africa and Norway insisted that breaking the siege is a moral and political duty.

This flotilla follows others this year.

The Handala and Madleen, two of the Freedom Flotilla's flagship vessels, also set sail in an attempt to break the blockade of Gaza. However, they were attacked by drones and stormed by Israeli forces. Passengers were beaten, kidnapped and deported.

Phones were confiscated, activists were interrogated, and many went on hunger strike to protest their detention. The attack was not just on the Freedom Flotilla; it was an attack on the principle of global solidarity itself.

The Global Sumud Flotilla insists that its mission is entirely lawful under international maritime law. Civilian vessels carrying humanitarian aid in international waters are protected under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. Israel's interception of the Handala and Madleen constitutes nothing less than piracy and a war crime.

The flotilla's organizers remind the world that Israel has maintained a land, air and sea blockade on Gaza since 2007. As they prepared for upcoming missions, flotilla spokespeople declared:

"Our boats carry more than aid. They carry a message: the siege must end. The greater danger lies not in confronting Israel at sea, but in allowing genocide to continue with impunity."