The armada of about forty vessels is now roughly 1,000 miles from the coast of Gaza.
The Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla has grown in size after the vessels that made up its initial group from Spain joined around twenty vessels from Sicily on Thursday. The flotilla’s vessels and activists come from numerous countries.
The initial group of about twenty ships departed Barcelona on September 1, briefly paused near the island of Minorca, and arrived off the coast of Tunisia on September 7. They have now merged to form a larger armada and are currently about 60 miles off the coast of Sicily, heading toward the eastern Mediterranean.
The armada is made up mostly of sailing boats, though several larger craft are also participating. The group claimed that while in Tunisia, they had been threatened by drones. It is unclear whether there is evidence of this, aside from videos showing flaming objects falling near one of the vessels, named Family. That vessel appeared to be unharmed.
The flotilla remained off the coast of the Tunis suburb of Sidi Bou Said for five days before sailing to Bizerte on Tunisia’s north coast. On Tuesday, they departed Tunisian waters and made the crossing to Italy.
In Italy, a group of roughly 20 vessels had left a port north of Syracuse and sailed to Portopalo, on the southern coast, on Tuesday. The two groups combined on Thursday, paused off the southern coast of Sicily, and then headed east.
A Palestinian flag is seen as people gather at the port of Ermoupolis before the departure of two sailing boats, Electra and Oxygen, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla aiming to reach Gaza and break Israel’s naval blockade, on Syros island, Greece, September 14, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/Giorgos Solaris)
Between Thursday and Saturday, they traveled about 55 nautical miles, briefly stopping due to concerns over high winds. As of the afternoon of September 20, they appear to be underway again. For some of the crew, this marks a 20-day journey from Spain. This is the latest attempt by activists to break what they call a “siege” of Gaza.
Activists say they fear being attacked by Israel
The activists have posted on social media that they fear being attacked by Israel. Kieran Andrieu, who describes himself as a political economist on X and a contributor to Novara Media, wrote that “we need your help and attention to keep the flotilla safe.” He claimed that Israeli “propaganda” was targeting the flotilla as “terror-linked.” He added, “The fact Israel is leaning into the latter strategy at the moment is very concerning. But we remain undeterred.”
The armada of about forty vessels is now roughly 1,000 miles from the coast of Gaza. Based on their slow progress over the past 20 days, it will take them at least eight days and possibly up to 20 days to reach Gaza. So far, the Spanish contingent has traveled about 1,000 miles.
Another group of sailboats is coming from Greece. They left Syros on Sunday and are now near Milos, the southwestern-most island in the Cyclades group.