Global Sumud Flotilla: 46 vessels closing in on Gaza
Slowly and steadily as many as 46 vessels which are part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, are closing on the Gaza Strip despite facing threats from the Israeli Occupation Forces
Mediterranean Sea: Slowly and steadily as many as 46 vessels which are part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, are closing on the Gaza Strip despite facing threats from the Israeli Occupation Forces.
The Sumud Flotilla was earlier attacked and targeted, most recently in Tunisia, but the activists onboard remain and steadfast in their resolve to break the illegal occupation's brazen blockade of Gaza.
“After delays, obstacles, and two drone attacks, we now have more than two dozen ships sailing from Tunisia, together with fleets from Italy and Greece. We are pulling off the largest grassroots maritime mission to Gaza in history”, the flotilla organisers said.
“The Global Sumud Flotilla fleet is on its way to Gaza — united in defiance, sailing for freedom, justice, and humanity”, the organisers said in the update few hour before today.
About Sumud Flotilla
[Global Sumud Flotilla latest location in the Mediterranean. (Global Sumud Flotilla Tracker screen shot taken today i.e. Wednesday September 17, 2025)]
The Sumud Flotilla - the largest civilian maritime mission organized to break Israel's illegal siege on Gaza, was launched in August and September 2025 when boats of all sizes set sail from ports around the world, converging toward Gaza to open a humanitarian corridor by sea.
The Global Sumud Flotilla was launched after the earlier Gaza Aid Flotillas – most recently Madleen and Handala, were seized and the members onboard were detained by the Israeli Occupation Forces.
The Sumud Flotilla is coordinated by grassroots organizers, seafarers, doctors, artists, and solidarity activists from over 45 countries, and is a nonviolent humanitarian mission responding to the ongoing genocide and siege against the Palestinian people.
As many as 46 vessels of different sizes Tuesday entered the international water in the Mediterranean Sea, and now closing in on Gaza, as per the Global Sumud Flotilla Tracker latest update on September 17, 2025.
Who are onboard the Global Sumud Flotilla?
As per the organisers, the Sumud flotilla brings together participants and organizers from the Global March to Gaza, Sumud Convoy, Sumud Nusantara, and the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, building on decades of Palestinian resistance and international solidarity to shift the global narrative and confront international complicity.
Prominent participants included Mandla Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela, Ada Colau, former mayor of Barcelona, Liam Cunningham, Irish actor and humanitarian, Susan Sarandon, renowned American actress and social activist, Thiago Avila of Brazil, and Greta Thunberg, the famous Swedish environmental activist who was also part of the Madleen Flotilla.
Giving the latest update Wednesday, the organisers said 6 boats with 26 Greeks and 20 international activists have set sail as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla from Syros.
The updates from the organisers Wednesday further said that the boats that set sail from Tunisia and Italy are soon to unite in the Mediterranean Sea, charting their course together towards Gaza.
On Tuesday, two Indigenous women from Turtle Island joined the Freedom Flotilla in their attempt to deliver urgent aid to Gaza, according to the organisers.
“Dear Gaza...”
In a touching message for the Palestinians facing Israeli brutality in Gaza, the activists sailing towards the besieged enclave said, “From Colombia, Mexico, Italy, Slovakia, Wales, the US, Australia and beyond, we sail with one message: YOU ARE NOT FORGETTEN.
“Governments may have failed you, but the people of the world have not. We come as humans, united in solidarity.”
As the flotilla faces the threat from the Israeli Occupation Forces (IDF), governments from 16 nations, including Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Ireland, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Pakistan, Qatar, Oman, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, and Türkiye, have issued a joint statement calling for the protection and respect for international law.
Meanwhile, the activists onboard the Global Sumud Flotilla have responded to the United Nations' latest findings on Gaza by saying the report came “really late.”
The UN’s top investigative body on Palestine and Israel in its report published Tuesday concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, marking the most authoritative ruling to date on the matter.
[Ahmed Abdullah Faizee is trainee writer at ummid.com.]
Follow ummid.com WhatsApp Channel for all the latest updates.
Select Language to Translate in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic
