Greta Thunberg’s humanitarian flotilla attempting to reach Gaza was forced to turn back to Barcelona within hours of departure yesterday after encountering severe weather conditions in the Mediterranean.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, comprising approximately 20 vessels carrying tonnes of food, medicine and humanitarian aid, departed from Barcelona’s port on Sunday afternoon with around 5,000 supporters gathering to see them off. However, the expedition leaders made the decision to abandon the mission temporarily after facing winds exceeding 30 knots.
Due to unsafe weather conditions, we conducted a sea trial and then returned to port to allow the storm to pass,” the group said in a statement on Monday. “This meant delaying our departure to avoid risking complications with the smaller boats.”
The flotilla, which organisers describe as the largest solidarity mission in history, includes delegations from 44 countries. Among those forced to return were vessels carrying Swedish activist Thunberg, former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, Barcelona councillor Jordi Coronas, and Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham.
The setback comes as Israeli officials reportedly plan harsh measures for any activists who attempt to breach the Gaza blockade. According to Israel Hayom, one of Israel’s largest newspapers, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is preparing to present Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a plan to detain activists in “terrorist-level conditions” at the Ktzi’ot and Damon detention centres.
Sources close to Ben-Gvir told the newspaper: “Following several weeks at Ktzi’ot and Damon, they’ll be sorry about the time they arrived here. We must eliminate their appetite for another attempt.” The plan also reportedly includes seizing vessels to establish a “maritime force for police operations.
The threat represents a significant escalation from previous encounters. During Thunberg’s first attempt to reach Gaza in June, she and 11 other activists were intercepted 115 miles west of the Strip and given the choice between deportation or arrest. They chose deportation.
Speaking before departure, Thunberg rejected accusations of anti-Semitism, telling Sky News: “It is not anti-Semitic to say that we should not be bombing people, that one should not be living in occupation, that everyone should have the right to live in freedom and dignity, no matter who you are.
The activist claimed more than 26,000 people had registered to join the mission to break the siege on Gaza. Additional vessels are expected to depart from Tunisia, Sicily and Greece on 4 September to join the flotilla.
The mission comes as Gaza faces what the United Nations has declared a full-blown famine. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) confirmed on Friday that famine has taken hold in Gaza City and surrounding areas, with more than 500,000 people at risk of dying from starvation.
Over half a million people currently face starvation, destitution and death,” Joyce Msuya, the UN’s deputy humanitarian chief, told the Security Council. She warned that the number could exceed 640,000 by the end of September.
The IPC found that 30 per cent of Gaza’s population is facing catastrophic conditions, with one in three people going without food for days. More than 20,000 children have been treated for acute malnutrition since April, with at least 16 children under five dying from hunger-related causes since mid-July.
Food experts warned that Gaza City was in famine and that half a million people across the Strip were facing catastrophic levels of hunger. The Gaza Health Ministry has documented 313 hunger-related deaths throughout the war, including 119 children.
The humanitarian crisis has deepened as Israel’s offensive continues. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 63,459 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, with more than 18,430 children among the dead. The ministry reported that 52 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on Wednesday alone.
International organisations have said these figures likely represent a significant undercount. A peer-reviewed study published in The Lancet medical journal suggested the actual death toll in the first nine months may have been 40 per cent higher than reported.
Israel has strongly denied using starvation as a weapon of war. Prime Minister Netanyahu called the IPC report “an outright lie”, stating that “Israel does not have a policy of starvation” and citing the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
However, UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said the famine has been “openly promoted by some Israeli leaders as a weapon of war” and called on Netanyahu to “end the retribution” and open Gaza’s crossings for unrestricted access.
Before departing, Thunberg told reporters: “This project is part of a global uprising of people standing up… when our governments fail to step up, the people will take their place, and their atrocities and their complicity in the genocide in Gaza right now is not something that we can stand for.
The captains of the flotilla vessels are set to meet again on Monday to decide whether conditions have improved sufficiently to resume their journey later in the day. Spain’s national weather agency AEMET has issued warnings of rainfall and strong storms for Catalonia and other parts of Spain.
Israel has imposed a naval blockade on Gaza since 2007, citing the need to prevent weapons smuggling to Hamas. The Israeli military said it “enforces the security naval blockade on the Gaza Strip and is prepared for a wide range of scenarios.
Experts have described the mission as the most significant attempt yet to challenge Israel’s blockade by sea. Previous attempts this year to bypass the blockade have all failed to reach Gaza, with vessels intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters.
Follow for more updates on Britannia Daily
