Spanish boats arrive in Tunisia to join Gaza-bound flotilla

TUNIS, Tunisia / ISTANBUL

Spanish boats arrived in Tunisia on Sunday to take part in an international flotilla heading to Gaza to break Israel’s blockade on the Palestinian enclave.

“We are here to support the same cause and to denounce decades of genocide by the occupying state,” Diego Elvira, a spokesman for the Spanish delegation, told a press conference at Sidi Bou Said Port in the capital Tunis.

Elvira said the Global Sumud Flotilla’s mission is “breaking the (Israeli) blockade and creating a humanitarian corridor.”

“This racist Zionist regime needs to be defeated," the spokesman said.

“We came here (Tunisia) after seven days of sailing from Spain. We faced many challenges and many storms, but none of this compares to what we will face on our next journey, and all that we endure does not compare to a single day of what the Palestinian people endure,” he said.

Roughly 150 activists, among them Tunisians, Turkish citizens and campaigners from across Europe, Africa and Asia, are participating in the initiative. The flotilla set sail from Barcelona on Aug. 22, followed by another group that departed the Italian port of Genoa last week. It is set to sail from Tunisia toward Gaza on Wednesday.

Organizers say the mission aims to draw attention to the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where international monitors declared famine in the north last month. Israel has sealed the enclave since March, allowing in only limited supplies while its forces continue to attack Palestinians waiting for food deliveries.

The Israeli genocidal war in Gaza has killed nearly 64,400 Palestinians since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.