Khaberni - Organizers of the "Global Fleet of Steadfastness" held a press conference in the Spanish city of Barcelona before the launch of their sea voyage today, Sunday, in a new attempt to break the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip, with participants affirming that their mission is "humanitarian and ethical" in the face of what they described as genocide and blockade.
During the press conference, the fleet organizers asserted that about a thousand volunteers from 70 countries will move on 70 boats towards Gaza, noting that they expect the journey to reach the sector two weeks after sailing in a specified route in the Mediterranean Sea.
They explained that the move is the fruit of cooperation with Catalan universities over the past years in support of the Palestinian cause, indicating that the streets of Barcelona and all of Catalonia stand with the Palestinian people.
Palestinian activist Suzan Abdullah, who is from Gaza and lives in Norway, said her participation is an extension of her family's suffering since the catastrophe of 1948, through the setback of 1967, and up to the repeated wars on the Gaza Strip, pointing out that she has experienced displacement, bombings, and loss of security, and that what is happening in Gaza today is a continuation of a long-term suffering.
Suzan added that Palestinians, despite the harsh conditions, "still support each other," confirming that the activists' actions today aim to send a message to Gaza that it is "not alone" and that the world "will not remain silent."
In another intervention, a Turkish teacher of German origin named Sumaya, said she does not want to be "a false witness to children deprived of education and medicine," considering what is happening in Gaza as "genocide" amid international complicity and political silence.
The speaker accused Western countries, including the United States, Britain, and Germany, of participating in supplying Israel with weapons used in bombing Gaza, demanding a stop to this, and called for exposing what she described as "international complicity," confirming that "direct public action at sea and in the street has become necessary in light of institutional failure."
International participation and messages of solidarity
Indonesian activist Maryam said she traveled thousands of miles in solidarity with the Palestinians, pointing out that her country’s support for Palestine is an extension of a history of international solidarity, and that governments have failed to take decisive stances.
She added that their movement comes because "official diplomacy is no longer sufficient," calling for a continuous global popular action to support Gaza and break the blockade imposed on it.
In the same context, a member of the "Greenpeace" organization in Spain and Portugal said that participating in the fleet represents “a moral duty,” explaining that what is happening in Gaza is not only a humanitarian disaster but also extends to an "environmental catastrophe" due to the destruction of agricultural lands, water networks, and infrastructure.
She added that the conflict threatens the future of the environment in the region, calling for an immediate end to the blockade, and confirming that "silence is not neutrality but complicity," and that protecting the environment cannot be separated from protecting human rights and fundamental rights.
The ships of the "Global Fleet of Steadfastness" sail from the coasts of Barcelona towards Gaza with the goal of breaking the Israeli blockade imposed on the sector and delivering humanitarian aid, this being the second time in less than a year with greater participation compared to the previous attempt.
The previous attempt by the fleet was launched in September 2025 from Barcelona as well, with 42 boats and 462 people participating, and the Israeli navy intercepted all boats involved in the journey and arrested the activists on board before deporting them to other countries.
