Over one thousand people welcome flotilla from Barcelona to Gaza in Tunisia

Monday 08 September 2025 - 09:15

By: Sahili Aya

Over one thousand people welcome flotilla from Barcelona to Gaza in Tunisia

More than one thousand people gathered on Sunday in Sidi Bou Saïd, near Tunis, to welcome the Global Sumud Flotilla, which had set sail from Barcelona carrying activists and humanitarian aid for Gaza. Among those present was Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan.

Organizers announced that several boats initially expected to depart from Tunisia on Sunday would instead set sail on Wednesday, citing “technical and logistical reasons.” The flotilla says its mission is to “open a humanitarian corridor and put an end to the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people.”

The reception was marked by fervor, with supporters waving Palestinian flags, holding banners, and lighting flares as they cheered the arrival of the boats. During a press conference on the beach, Rima Hassan emphasized “the role played today by ordinary people in the face of the cowardice of states that prevent any real solidarity with the Palestinian people.”

She recalled that when aboard the sailboat Madleen earlier this year, the group was intercepted by Israeli forces about 185 kilometers off Gaza’s coast, pledging to continue their efforts despite the risks.

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who also arrived on one of the boats from Barcelona, denounced what she called “a genocide and mass famine provoked by Israel’s war machine.”

According to the organizers, 130 people from various countries have registered to board the boats departing from Tunisia. The initiative comes as the United Nations declared famine in Gaza in August, warning that 500,000 people are facing catastrophic conditions.