When Torben, a medical doctor and scientist from Germany, decided to join the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying aid to the Israeli-blockaded Gaza, he knew he had a lot to lose. 

But, he says, it is nothing compared to the sufferings of millions of hungry and displaced people in Gaza.

“I am afraid, and of course, nervous, but I am a man with a conscience who decided to do the right thing,” Torben, who identified himself by only his first name for security reasons, tells TRT World in Tunisia.

“This is why I am participating in this push to bring aid to Gaza,” he adds.

The Sumud flotilla is the latest and largest to date to embark on a mission to end Israel’s crippling blockade, which has killed 185 people in Gaza due to the man-made famine in just a month. 

The total number of famine-related deaths since October 2023 is pegged at 348. The UN-backed global hunger monitor, the Integrated Food Security Classification (IPC), has officially declared famine in the enclave.

Fear of arrest or worse 

Around 300 activists, politicians and artists from 44 countries carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza departed Barcelona’s port late on Monday.

The mission is organised by four major coalitions, which aim to break the Israeli blockade in Gaza and provide Palestinians with the much-needed aid.

“I have been feeling powerless for way too long in a country where the public and the media are complicit in the genocide that is happening,” Torben says.

“So when I got a chance, I took it because it’s the most effective thing I can do as a normal citizen with the skills that I have.”

As the flotilla began its journey on Monday, the atmosphere was both solemn and tense. 

Many were worried, knowing they are up against Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has acted with impunity since Israel launched its war on Gaza on October 7, 2023.

The fear of arrest or worse lingers because justice has been rare, even after Israel has killed over 63,000 people, including 247 journalists and dozens of children and babies, since October 7, 2023.

“I am worried, yes, but being here with all the other participants with so much courage is really helping me overcome those worries,” he adds.

As the first convoy, consisting of dozens of small civilian vessels, left from a Spanish port, participants roared 'Free Palestine' and waved the Palestinian flags. 

A second group of ships is scheduled to depart from Tunisia on September 4, linking up with vessels from Italy, Greece, and other Mediterranean destinations.

“This is the largest solidarity mission in history, with more people and more boats than all previous attempts combined,” Brazilian activist Thiago Avila said in a press conference in Barcelona.

Countries from six continents are taking part in the movement, including countries such as Australia, South Africa, Brazil and numerous countries from European states on a mission to break Israel’s illegal siege in Gaza. 

The fleet will take seven to eight days to make the approximately 3,000km journey to Gaza. 

Palestinians face greater risks on board

In Tunisia, Moa Jihad, a Palestinian from Ramallah, although unable to join the fleet, has been waiting for hours for the arrival of the first convoy. 

“The flotilla Sumud is going to Gaza once again reminding people that Palestinians are being killed and starved, and that a genocide is ongoing; the people are suffering,” he tells TRT World.

“Today we stand here to support the mission even if I cannot get on board.”

Moa faces greater risks of arrest or harm than people from other countries because he holds a Palestinian passport.

“If the Israeli army arrests me and puts me in jail, that's it for me. I will be in jail for 10 years or even more,” Moa says. 

“So I am here to show my gratitude to everyone who is aiming to break the siege.”

Since 2007, Israel has controlled Gaza’s airspace and territorial waters, severely restricting the movement of goods and people. There is no functional airport after Israel bombed and destroyed the Gaza airport in 2001.

So, when traditional supply routes, such as air and land corridors, are blocked, a mission like Flotilla Sumud is organised. Sumud is an Arabic term for “resilience”. 

Pro-Palestinian activists, including climate activist Greta Thunberg and Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham, are on board. 

TRT Français producer, Sena Polat, is also one of the participants waiting in Tunisia to join the flotilla Sumud on its journey to Gaza. 

In 2008, two vessels from the Free Gaza Movement managed to reach Gaza, becoming the first to break through Israel’s naval blockade. 

Formed in 2006 amid Israel’s war on Lebanon, the movement launched 31 boats between 2008 and 2016, with five successfully reaching Gaza despite strict Israeli controls.

However, since 2010, every flotilla trying to break the Gaza blockade has been intercepted or confronted by Israel in international waters. The attack on Mavi Marmara in 2010 killed 10 activists and injured dozens, causing global outrage. 

“I’m not an activist or a hero or anything other than a man with a conscience who decided to do the right thing,” Torben adds.

“I have family, I have friends, I have dreams in Germany, and I have a lot to lose, but you know it’s nothing compared to the suffering that’s going on in Gaza.”

TRT Français Producer Sena Polat contributed to this report from Tunisia.