Dozens of ships loaded with humanitarian aid are set to sail from multiple Mediterranean ports in late August, in the most significant maritime campaign in over 17 years aimed at breaking the brutal Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip.

The fleet brings together activists, artists, and public figures from dozens of countries, including Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg and American actress Susan Sarandon, alongside thousands of humanitarian workers, doctors, and artists from 44 nations.

Hussein Durmaz, coordinator of the Turkish delegation in the fleet, highlighted that this initiative unites powerful international coalitions like the "Freedom Flotilla" and the "Convoy of Resilience." He warned that the ongoing suffering in Gaza “has become unbearable” and called on global humanity to rally its efforts to end the siege.

Despite relentless Israeli pressure and smear campaigns branding participants as extremists or terrorists, the organizers stand firm. They stress that the movement is entirely civilian and peaceful, with the clear mission of delivering vital food and medicine to the more than two million Palestinians trapped by the suffocating blockade.

The campaign rejects any false accusations and exposes the inhumanity of the Israeli blockade, insisting on the inviolable right of civilians to receive aid, as enshrined in the United Nations charter that forbids starving populations even in times of war.

Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli enemy, with full American backing, has continued its brutal assault on the Gaza Strip in a campaign internationally condemned as genocide. This offensive involves mass killing, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement, flagrantly ignoring rulings from the International Court of Justice demanding an immediate halt to hostilities and full compliance with international law.

The assault has left approximately 215,000 Palestinians dead or wounded—most of them children and women—over 9,000 missing, and hundreds of thousands displaced from their homes.