MADRID / GAZA CITY: The Global Sumud Flotilla left Barcelona symbolically for Gaza on Sunday, but delayed its departure into international waters due to adverse weather conditions, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition coordinator, Spanish public broadcaster RTVE reported.

“Due to weather conditions, our mission will sail from this port today, but will not be sailing to international waters because we cannot make this journey safely today,” said organiser Thiago Avila.

About 30 boats planned to leave the Mediterranean port city laden with medical aid and other supplies on the Global Sumud Flotilla, and more vessels are expected to join along the route towards Palestine.

The Israeli military halted the roughly 40 boats assembled by the same organisation last October as they attempted to reach blockaded Gaza, arresting Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and more than 450 other participants.

Israel, which controls all access to the Gaza Strip, denies withholding supplies for its more than two million residents. Yet Palestinians and international aid bodies say supplies reaching the territory are still insufficient, despite a ceasefire reached in October which included guarantees of increased aid.

Liam Cunningham, an actor who starred in the Game of Thrones television series who is supporting the flotilla but not taking part, told Reuters: “Every kilogram of aid that is on these ships is a failure because all these people on these ships giving up their time to help their fellow human beings are doing what their governments are legally obliged to do.”

The World Health Organisation has said that even during armed conflicts, states are obligated under international humanitarian law to ensure that people are able to reach medical care in safety.

“This is a mission that aims to open a humanitarian corridor so the aid delivery organisations can arrive,” Saif Abukeshak, a Palestinian activist and member of the flotillas organising committee, told Reuters.

A delegation from Hamas is set to hold talks with Egyptian mediators in Cairo on Sunday to address alleged Israeli violations of the Gaza ceasefire, according to two officials from the Palestinian group.

On Saturday, the territory’s civil defence agency, which operates as a rescue force under Hamas authority, reported that Israeli air strikes killed seven people in a northern district.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2026