The organisers of a flotilla bounded for Gaza from North Africa announced that the boat was ready to set sail to the besieged Palestinian enclave on Saturday from Tunisia.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, or Maghreb Resilience Flotilla, is attempting to break Israel’s siege on the Gaza Strip where a genocidal Israeli war has continued for nearly two years and a block on aid has resulted in the starvation deaths of hundreds.
Organisers said in a statement that the ships, which had been anchored in the coastal Tunisian towns of Sidi Bou Said and Gammarth, would sail successively toward the port of Bizerte after being inspected by crews and specialists, who confirmed they were fit for sail with the exception of two vessels.
They would leave for Gaza from Bizerte on Tunisia’s northern coast.
Ghassan Al-Hanshiri, a member of the steering committee, stated that the condition of the Tunisian ships is "good, contrary to what some are claiming," noting that experts and crew members have confirmed their seaworthiness.
He emphasised that maintenance and monitoring are carried out regularly, and that the crews and captains are fully motivated to carry out this humanitarian mission, driven by their belief in the justice of the Palestinian cause and the duty to break the siege on Gaza.
For his part, Nabil Chennoufi, a member of the executive committee, explained to The New Arab’s sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, that "there are 23 Maghreb ships ready to set sail tomorrow out of a total of 25, distributed among the ports of Bizerte, Sidi Bou Said, and Gammarth."
He added that "five ships will depart tonight from Gammarth and another from Sidi Bou Said heading to Bizerte."
Chennoufi pointed out that "the number of Tunisian participants reached 72 volunteers, while the participation includes other Arab nationalities from Libya, Algeria, Morocco, and Mauritania, in addition to representatives from Bahrain and Qatar."
He confirmed that "the fleet will meet Greek and Italian ships at sea after coordination and consultation with their organizers," emphasising that the ships will set sail for Gaza on Saturday "regardless of the circumstances."
The Global Sumud Flotilla describes itself as an independent group not linked to any government or political party. Sumud means "resilience" in Arabic.
The flotilla’s departure was pushed back after a suspected drone strike hit it earlier this week. Tunisian authorities had initially denied there was a drone but Tunis said the following day that the "assault" was "orchestrated."
The fleet is carrying between 500 and 700 participants from 44 countries. Ships from Spain and Italy, which left Barcelona and Genoa last month, arrived with nearly 300 tonnes of cargo.
The cargo includes wheat, baby formula, prosthetic limbs, medicines, and drinking water for Palestinians in Gaza.
Since March, Israel has closed all crossings into Gaza, blocking food, medicine, and humanitarian aid, plunging the territory into a man-made famine despite relief trucks waiting at its borders.
Occasionally, Israel allows very limited amounts of aid to enter, far below the minimum needed to meet the needs of the starving population.
Most of the trucks, Gaza's government says, are then looted by gangs reportedly protected by Israel, leaving the famine largely unrelieved.
Hundreds of desperate Palestinians have also been killed by the Israeli army and security contractors while trying to obtain aid at sites run by the US and Israel backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
Israel has already blocked two attempts by activists to deliver aid by ship to Gaza, in June and July.
More than 64,800 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began in October 2023, with more than 164,000 others injured.