Aid flotilla leaves Barcelona again for Gaza after weather delay

The Global Sumud aid flotilla bound for Gaza has once again set sail from Barcelona, after being forced to turn back on Sunday due to storm forecasts and strong northerly winds.

After spending the day docked in the port, the fleet of around 20 vessels carrying some 200 activists departed on Monday evening at 8pm.

Among those on board are climate activist Greta Thunberg, former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau and Irish actor Liam Cunningham. 

“Faced with winds of over 30 knots and the unpredictability of the Mediterranean, we made this decision to prioritize the safety and well-being of all participants and ensure the success of our mission,” the organizers said in a statement.

On Monday, the flotilla used the time to better prepare some technical and operational aspects of the expedition, such as fixing internet connections that had been failing.

Some vessels that set sail on Sunday even realized they were not equipped to continue the journey.

Despite these issues, organizers described Sunday’s aborted departure as a “test” and Monday’s resumption as a “pit stop.”

“Yesterday was a magnificent opportunity to have contact with the sea. Many people had never taken this kind of trip before, they don’t have that experience but they do have the determination to continue,” said spokesperson Saif Abukeshek.

If all goes according to plan, the flotilla expects to reach Gaza in 15 to 20 days.

Still, reaching Gaza will be difficult. Israel's far-right security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has called on the Israeli government to classify the flotilla activists as "terrorists," according to The Jerusalem Post.

Ben-Gvir presented a plan to Benjamin Netanyahu's government on Sunday to arrest activists who want to break the humanitarian blockade on Gaza by declaring that they pose a risk to "national security and its borders."

In this way, they would be imprisoned for some time instead of quickly repatriating them as happened the last time.

In response to these statements, the flotilla spokesperson defended the expedition’s legality. "They use these claims and statements to justify the crimes they want to commit," they said.

The Netanyahu government has not yet commented on the flotilla, according to Israeli diplomatic sources.