A humanitarian flotilla carrying aid to the Gaza Strip was forced to turn back to Barcelona on Sunday after being caught in fierce Mediterranean winds, reports said quoting organisers.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, made up of several vessels and carrying hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists, had set sail aiming to break Israel’s long-standing naval blockade of Gaza.
Among those on board were Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau.
Organisers said the ships were unable to continue their journey safely. “Due to unsafe weather conditions, we conducted a sea trial and then returned to port to allow the storm to pass,” the flotilla’s coordinating group announced in a statement. They did not specify when the vessels would resume their voyage.
The mission seeks to deliver medical supplies, food, and other humanitarian goods to Palestinians in Gaza, where the death toll from nearly two years of war has surpassed 63,000, with thousands more displaced and facing famine conditions. Israel maintains that the blockade is necessary to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas, but rights groups and flotilla organizers argue it amounts to collective punishment of civilians.
This is not the first time pro-Palestinian flotillas have attempted to breach the blockade. The most infamous incident occurred in 2010 when Israeli commandos raided the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, leaving nine activists dead and straining Israel’s relations with Turkey for years. Since then, similar efforts have often been intercepted or delayed.
For now, the Global Sumud Flotilla remains docked in Barcelona. Organisers insist they are committed to completing the journey once conditions improve.
“Our mission is humanitarian and urgent,” said a spokesperson. “The people of Gaza cannot wait. We will sail again.”
