ISTANBUL

The International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza announced Sunday that a new wave of ships will set sail from southern Italy next Wednesday to challenge the blockade of the Palestinian enclave, adding to the efforts of the Global Sumud Flotilla.

In a statement, the committee said: “The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), in partnership with the Thousand Madleen to Gaza (TMTG), has announced the launch of the next wave of blockade-breaking ships.”

It said the move will involve a new fleet consisting of several vessels that will depart on Wednesday from southern Italy.

The committee added that the departure of the new flotilla “comes through cooperation between two global grassroots initiatives, at the same time that 50 ships are already sailing as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla.”

It also said the Freedom Flotilla is preparing to launch a ship carrying “a new and innovative idea” at the beginning of October, but giving no further details.

'Everyone's duty to break the siege'

The committee stressed that “as suffering in Gaza deepens and the Israeli occupation persists in committing genocide in every form, it becomes a duty upon every free person in the world to take to the sea, break the siege, and provide a lifeline for the Gaza Strip.”

Dozens of vessels have been sailing in recent days as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla headed toward Gaza.

On Sept. 16, the committee announced that the flotilla’s ships would gather near the island nation of Malta to sail together across the Mediterranean toward Gaza’s shores, without specifying a date.

These vessels are carrying humanitarian aid, particularly medical supplies, for the blockaded territory.

This marks the first time that such a large number of ships have sailed together toward Gaza, home to about 2.4 million Palestinians who have lived under an Israeli blockade for 18 years, and an even more stringent blockade in recent months.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has been carrying out a genocide in Gaza which has so far killed over 65,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.