'Sea of resistance': Maghreb al-Somoud Flotilla plans to set sail towards Gaza

North African pro-Palestine groups have announced the launch of the Maghreb al-Somoud Flotilla, a renewed maritime mission aimed at breaking Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip. 

"Our sails are set toward Gaza, and our goal is to break the siege", said Salah El-Masri, a member of the flotilla's organising committee, during a press conference held in Tunis on Wednesday.

Led by the Joint Action Coordination for Palestine, the Maghreb initiative is part of a broader global campaign that includes Freedom Flotilla Coalition's partners from East Asia, Latin America and Europe.

The mission will consist of "dozens of vessels" departing from ports in North Africa and across the Mediterranean between late summer and early autumn, before the sailing season ends.

The Maghreb flotilla follows a string of failed attempts to reach Gaza by land, sea and air.

On 9 June, the Maghreb Somoud convoy's attempt to reach the Rafah border crossing by land was intercepted near Sirte, Libya, where several participants were detained and reportedly beaten by forces aligned with General Khalifa Haftar.

Others who travelled to Egypt in hopes of entering Gaza were immediately deported.

At sea, recent attempts by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition have been similarly thwarted.

The group's British-flagged vessel Madleen, which departed Sicily on 6 June, was seized in international waters three days later by Israeli forces.

Its 12-member crew, including lawmakers and human rights figures from across Europe, were detained for days before being released.

Another ship, the Handala, set sail from Italy this week in a fresh attempt to breach the blockade.

Organisers of the Maghreb Somoud Flotilla say this new mission will be maritime-only as a direct challenge to the "Zionist entity" and the world order that enables it.

The activists aim not only to deliver aid but also to rally global civil society against the Israeli genocide in Gaza, and reaffirm international solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

"This is not just a humanitarian voyage. It is a direct confrontation with the systems complicit in genocide," said El-Masri.

"There will be great danger, far greater for us Maghrebis, considering the world order", he added, citing fears of Israeli naval assaults and arrests.

To protect the mission, organisers have declined so far to share specific route details. Registration and donations will open soon to help charter the vessels.

A preparatory gathering for the Somoud Flotilla participants will be held in Tunis at the start of August, with delegations from Algeria and Libya confirmed.

Invitations have also been extended to Mauritania and Morocco, though neither has formally responded.

The mission's structure will include regional coordination bodies and specialised working committees operating under the Maghreb Soumoud Flotilla Committee.

Organisers have called for a global mobilisation, urging movements and individuals to declare an "international state of emergency" in solidarity with Gaza. 

"The Mediterranean, once a symbol of normalisation with Zionism, will soon be adorned with Palestinian flags. It will be transformed into a sea of resistance," said El-Masri.