Sumud Flotilla for Gaza forced to turn back due to weather conditions

The Global Sumud Flotilla carrying assistance to the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip has been forced to crook backmost owed to mediocre weather, according to a connection by the radical and sources travelling with the mission.

The flotilla said connected X that beardown winds connected Sunday of much than 30 knots (55.6 kilometres per hour, oregon 34.5 miles per hour) connected the Mediterranean Sea could person posed a occupation for smaller boats successful the convoy.

“The determination was made by the [flotilla] steering committee … to crook backmost towards Barcelona’s La Vela port, wherever they arrived aft 22:00 (10pm, oregon 20:00 GMT),” Al Jazeera’s Mauricio Morales said portion reporting from the Familia, portion of the flotilla.

The determination to crook backmost was taken astir 3 hours earlier, Morales added.

The flotilla, which had acceptable disconnected from Barcelona connected Sunday, said connected X that it conducted a oversea proceedings and made the determination to instrumentality to larboard to let the tempest to pass.

According to Morales, a 2nd effort to acceptable disconnected is expected connected Monday.

The flotilla

The flotilla comprises dozens of tiny civilian vessels carrying volunteers and humanitarian supplies.

It planned to conscionable up with a 2nd question of vessels successful Tunisia connected Thursday, but that program has present been somewhat delayed.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA MISSION DEPARTURE DELAYED TO PRIORITIZE SAFETY AMID STRONG MEDITERRANEAN WINDS pic.twitter.com/A4YDahLiJh

— Global Sumud Flotilla (@GlobalSumudF) September 1, 2025

This is the 3rd assistance flotilla of its benignant successful caller months to effort to interruption the Israeli siege connected Gaza.

Previous attempts person been unsuccessful with Israeli naval forces illegally intercepting the boats successful planetary waters.

Organisers said the Global Sumud Flotilla is the largest maritime ngo to Gaza, bringing unneurotic much than 50 ships and delegations from astatine slightest 44 countries.

Other than the 20-some boats leaving Barcelona, much are expected to articulation from crossed the Mediterranean successful the coming days, including from Tunisia and Sicily.

The volunteers

This flotilla is organised by 4 large coalitions that person participated successful erstwhile onshore and oversea efforts to Gaza: the Global Movement to Gaza, Freedom Flotilla Coalition, Maghreb Sumud Flotilla and Sumud Nusantara.

Volunteers hail from countries that see Australia, Brazil, Colombia, South Africa and galore European states. According to organisers, participants are unaffiliated with immoderate authorities oregon governmental party.

On committee the flotilla are Swedish clime activistic Greta Thunberg, Brazilian activistic Thiago Avila, erstwhile Mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau Ballano, Irish histrion Liam Cunningham and Spanish histrion Eduard Fernandez.

Many of the radical progressive person been portion of past flotilla efforts.

The coalition’s steering committee includes a fig of high-profile activists and figures, specified arsenic Palestinian activistic Saif Abukeshek, quality rights activistic Yasemin Acar, historiographer Kleoniki Alexopoulou, activistic Marouan Ben Guettaia, quality rights activistic Torkia Chaibi, physicist Maria Elena Delia, activistic and societal researcher Hayfa Mansouri, societal idiosyncratic Karen Moynihan, humanitarian Muhammad Nadir al-Nuri, activistic Wael Nawar, governmental idiosyncratic and lawyer Melanie Schweizer, Avila and Thunberg.

Previous flotillas person mostly been blocked though successful 2008 2 boats from the Free Gaza Movement reached Gaza.

The movement, founded successful 2006 by activists during Israel’s warfare connected Lebanon, went connected to motorboat 31 boats from 2008 to 2016, 5 of which reached Gaza contempt dense Israeli restrictions.

But since 2010, each attempts person been intercepted oregon attacked by Israeli forces. In 2010, Israeli commandos raided the Mavi Marmara successful planetary waters. The battle killed 10 activists and injured dozens, starring to planetary outrage. The vessel was carrying humanitarian assistance and much than 600 passengers.

Thunberg, Avila and different salient activists were stopped by Israeli commandos successful June erstwhile the Madleen was intercepted astir 185km (100 nautical miles) from Gaza successful planetary waters.

Gaza’s hopeless need

The latest attempts by the activists travel arsenic the humanitarian concern successful Gaza worsens rapidly.

Last month, the United Nations-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification officially declared famine successful areas of the enclave, an appraisal that Israel has denied.

Meanwhile, the Israeli service has placed forced displacement orders connected residents of Gaza City which is nether dense bombardment aft the authorities approved a program to prehend it.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, astatine slightest 63,557 radical person been killed and 160,660 others wounded since the warfare began successful October 2023.