Defying a recent crackdown, a new international humanitarian fleet has set sail for Gaza, aiming to break the “Israeli” occupation’s near-total siege as the regime faces mounting condemnation for its violent interception of the preceding “Global Sumud Flotilla.”
The 10-boat fleet, organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) and the grassroots Thousand Madleens to Gaza group, departed from Italian and Spanish coastlines between September 25 and 27. It carries nearly 70 people from over 20 nations, including parliamentarians from Ireland, Belgium, Spain, Denmark, France, and the United States. They were later joined by the Conscience, a vessel carrying 80 people, including international journalists and medics challenging what the FFC calls “one of the most dangerous press blackouts in modern history.”
“They intercept. They kidnap. They lie.
Yet the flotilla sails – carrying food, medicine, and hope to a starving Gaza.
This is not just about ships.
It’s about breaking a siege.” pic.twitter.com/Qtb7FsZkdD— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) October 4, 2025
This new maritime challenge comes on the heels of “Israel’s” interception of the monumental 50-strong Global Sumud Flotilla, which rights groups have met with widespread global outrage. A report from the rights group Adala, based in occupied Haifa, has now detailed a litany of alleged violations committed by the regime against the detained activists.
According to Adala, after being seized from international waters, participants “were forced to kneel with their hands zip-tied for at least five hours.” The group condemned the treatment as “unlawful, humiliating, and systematically abusive,” reporting that at least 331 activists faced hearings in the occupied port of “Ashdod” without legal representation.
Detainees, who were transferred to “Ktzi’ot” Prison, reported being denied water, medicine, and legal access. The outlet Drop Site News posted a video showing far-right “Israeli” minister Itamar Ben-Gvir addressing the detainees in a degrading manner and calling them “the flotilla terrorists.”
Adalah has labeled the naval interception an “abduction” and the blockade itself an “illegal act of collective punishment and genocide.” The group demands the immediate release of all activists, accountability for “Israel,” and the return of confiscated belongings and aid supplies.
The flotillas sail as “Israel” continues its war on Gaza, which has claimed nearly 66,300 Palestinian lives, weaponizing starvation alongside bombings against the besieged coastal strip.
Source: Agencies (edited by Al-Manar English Website)
