Activists gather in Marseille's harbour, southern France, on April 4, 2026. CLEMENT MAHOUDEAU / AFP
Some 20 French boats set sail from Marseille on Saturday, April 4, to join up with an international flotilla making a renewed effort to break an Israeli blockade and deliver aid to Gaza. "Gaza, Marseille is with you" shouted around a thousand people who had come to the docks to support the initiative.
The ships, mostly sailboats, set off to a round of applause and songs shortly after 5:00 pm to join the "Global Sumud Flotilla," named after a Gazan fisherman. The international flotilla of some 100 boats, mostly setting sail from Barcelona on April 12, will head towards Gaza around April 20, according to the organisers. A week-long stopover is planned in southern Italy for "non-violence training."
"The goal is to give Palestine more visibility. We're not talking about it much right now, because of the international context," said Manon, a crew member who declined to give her full name.
In late 2025, an initial flotilla of about 50 boats, composed of political figures and activists such as Sweden's Greta Thunberg, was boarded by the Israeli navy – illegally, according to the organizers and Amnesty International. The crew members were arrested and expelled by Israel.
