The flotilla is now sailing towards Gaza to break the Israeli blockade.

BarcelonaAmidst applause and shouts of "Free, free Palestine", the boats of the Global Sumud Flotilla have been leaving one by one this Sunday afternoon from the Muelle de la Madera in Barcelona with a double objective: on the one hand, to bring humanitarian aid for the more thanOne million Gazans are struggling to survive due to the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007.; and, on the other hand, to denounce the passivity of Western governments in the face of the atrocities committed by Benjamin Netanyahu.

On board the thirty boats that have left Barcelona are activists, journalists, and, among the well-known faces, former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau; Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who wore a T-shirt with the slogan "We are all Action for Palestine",and theactor of Game of Thunder Liam CunninghamBarcelona and Gaza, separated by more than 3,800 km of the Mediterranean Sea, are joining forces in this mission to bring water, food, and medicine to the enclave, as well as a message of hope for the population that has suffered the destruction of war and hunger for 22 months. Symbolically, before boarding the boats, they ate watermelon, a fruit that has become an icon of the Palestinian resistance for sharing the colors of the Palestinian flag. "We came to say goodbye to the Flotilla, but also to say goodbye to my husband and his grandfather," Gemma said, while her grandson, clinging to her legs, continued to cry. "It's hard, but we know it's the right way to stop the genocide."

Union of the political left

Politicians from all parties of the parliamentary left gathered at the port of Barcelona: from Bildu to Podemos, including ERC, PSC, CUP, and Comuns, who all agreed to demand decisive action against Benjamin Netanyahu and, in some cases, the courage to sever relations with Tel Aviv. Colau, wearing a Palestinian scarf around her neck, reiterated that "Israel is a genocidal and criminal state" before boarding one of the boats, alongside ERC councilor Jordi Corona, who is captaining one.

Also seen were well-known actors who showed their support for Palestine, such as Eduard Fernández, who emphasized that silence "kills just as much as bombs," Willy Toledo, Laia Manzanares, director Àlex Rigola, and singer-songwriter Marina Rossell. Finally, there was no sign of American actress Susan Sarandon or politician and Nelson Mandela's grandson, Mandla Mandela, who had been rumored as possible members of the flotilla.

"I am terrified to see how people continue to live while watching the genocide live on their phones," lamented Thunberg, who will be making her second attempt to reach Gaza, after Israel intercepted the humanitarian boat she was traveling on earlier this summer. The Swedish activist stated that if the humanitarian mission fails to reach the Strip, they will not consider it a failure. "Our plan B will be to try again with more boats and more people," she explained at the collective appearance, as the last boats of the flotilla entered the port amid applause from the gathered audience.

"If Gaza doesn't surrender, we can't surrender either," said Colau, who welcomed the city's selection as one of the international mission's departure points: "Barcelona never fails." The former mayor also praised the initiative as being possible thanks to the strength of civil society, "which mobilizes against the immobility of cowardly institutions" that avoid taking a stand against the genocide. Therefore, she called on governments and institutions around the world to follow in the footsteps of the Catalan capital, break relations with Israel and impose sanctions on it.

While the thirty boats in the flotilla set sail from the Moll de la Fusta, the site of musical performances over the weekend, several more vessels have departed from the port of Genoa. This first batch will join around twenty more vessels departing on Thursday from Sicily and Tunisia, and later from Greece. According to the organizers, a total of fifty boats, with around 300 people on board, will embark on a seven- to eight-day journey to the coast of Gaza in what will be the "largest mission in history" aimed at breaking the Israeli blockade. In previous attempts, the boats were intercepted by Israel, which did not hesitate to attack the vessels. The largest incident occurred in 2010, when ten members of the mission were killed in an attack by Israeli military forces in international waters.

A humanitarian mission that navigates between the uncertainty of the sea and the determination of activists, determined to reach the Gaza enclave and remind all those who continue with their lives while watching the genocide live and then act as if it weren't happening that, as Thunberg has pointed out, "indifference also kills."