ROME

Boats joining the Gaza-bound Global Sumud humanitarian aid flotilla on Thursday began departing from ports on the Italian island of Sicily.

Decorated with Palestinian flags, a number of boats that had been preparing at ports on Sicily’s eastern coast set sail into the Mediterranean Thursday morning, according to information from activists.

Departing from ports such as Catania and Augusta, the vessels stopped in the southern Sicilian city of Syracuse before heading to Gaza.

The first boats arriving at Syracuse were welcomed by pro-Palestine supporters on shore chanting, "Free Palestine."

Among those sailing from Italy were Arturo Scotto, an opposition Democratic Party deputy; Annalisa Corrado, a member of the European Parliament; Marco Croatti, a senator from the Five Star Movement (M5S); and Benedetta Scuderi, a member of the European Parliament from the Green–Left Alliance.

Speaking earlier Thursday, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that he had called his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar and told him they will provide diplomatic and consular assistance to the 58 Italian citizens joining the flotilla.

The boats that set sail from Italy are expected to meet with boats coming from Spain and Tunisia in the Mediterranean before proceeding to Gaza.

Some proceeded early Thursday from Sidi Bou Said to Bizerte, both in Tunisia, in preparation for the aid convoy’s planned Friday departure to break Israel’s blockade of the Palestinian territory.

The flotilla includes around 36 vessels carrying a total of some 500-700 activists from over 40 countries.

The convoy is the largest of its kind to date, as previous attempts involved single ships that Israel intercepted at sea. Organizers say their goal is to challenge the blockade and deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, where famine conditions have taken hold under Israel’s months-long aid blockade.

The UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) confirmed on Aug. 22 that famine had taken hold in northern Gaza and warned it could spread as Israel’s blockade continues.

The Israeli army has continued a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip, killing more than 64,700 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.