Solidarity Flotilla Departs from Barcelona Bound for Gaza
Special Photo Feature by Ihosvanny
HAVANA TIMES – This Sunday, August 31, the Moll de la Fusta in Barcelona became a stage for international solidarity. Over 20 boats carrying around 300 activists set sail for Gaza as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civil mission aimed at breaking the Israeli blockade and opening a humanitarian corridor to the Gaza Strip.
The departure was preceded by days of cultural activities, talks, and concerts organized by social and pro-Palestinian groups, drawing thousands of participants. Today, tens of thousands of people gathered to bid farewell to the flotilla, with chants, banners, and the sound of boat horns echoing as symbols of resistance.
The initiative brought together figures from 44 countries, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, Irish actor Liam Cunningham, and former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau. In an emotional press conference, Thunberg condemned the “failure of governments” in the face of the “genocide” in Gaza and called for grassroots resistance: “This story is about how people rise when governments fail.”
Movement spokesperson Saif Abukeshek emphasized that “the famine in Gaza is not a natural disaster, but a deliberate strategy.” The flotilla, he said, does not seek heroism, but justice: “We are not the heroes; we are the response of civil society.”
Although the humanitarian aid carried by the boats is limited, the symbolic and media impact of the mission is immense. The flotilla is expected to stop in Tunisia before continuing to Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is dire: over 500,000 people are living in famine conditions, according to the UN.
Barcelona, once a sendoff port of arms, today becomes a humanitarian capital, sending a clear message: in the face of institutional silence, as civil society organizes, acts, and sets sail.
