International flotilla sets sail from Tunisia to break Gaza siege

The GSF, which departed Bizerte Port on Saturday, includes more than 40 vessels carrying between 500 and 700 activists from more than 40 countries, according to Anadolu news agency.

The participants say they are determined to break the blockade on Gaza.

Among those joining is Franco-Palestinian lawmaker Rima Hasan, a member of the French National Assembly, who announced her participation after boarding in Tunisia.

“Our governments are responsible for the continuation of the genocide in Gaza,” Hasan wrote on X, accusing European leaders of being silent towards Israeli attacks on aid convoys. In June, she joined another Gaza-bound boat that Israeli forces seized in international waters.

The flotilla is supported by prominent activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, who has long been vilified by Zionist regime’s officials for her solidarity with Palestinians.

Organizers reported this week that two of the GSF ships – the Family, which had members of the steering committee on board, and the Alma – were attacked while anchored near Tunis.

Activists suspect Israeli involvement, noting that one of the vessels was struck by a drone.

This is not the first time the Zionist regime’s occupation regime has moved to stop such solidarity missions.

In early June, Zionist regime’s naval forces intercepted the Madleen ship in international waters, seizing its aid supplies and detaining a crew of 12 activists. Another vessel, the Conscience, was struck by drones in May near Maltese waters, leaving it unable to continue its journey.

Organizers say the GSF represents one of the boldest challenges yet to Israel’s control of Gaza’s coastline.

The new attempt to break the Israeli blockade comes as the UN launches daily appeals for action to address the famine in Gaza, where more than half a million people facing catastrophic hunger and malnutrition.