New Gaza flotilla sets sail from Spain after weather delay

Dozens of boats carrying activists and symbolic aid for Palestinians in Gaza set sail from the northeastern Spanish city of Barcelona.

Organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla say that more than 70 boats and 1,000 people from around the world will participate.

Nearly 40 boats were leaving Barcelona while the rest will join the fleet from other ports along the Mediterranean as they sail eastward, according to Thiago Ávila, one of the flotilla’s leaders, who spoke at a news conference in Barcelona on Sunday during a symbolic send-off event. Bad weather had forced organizers to delay their departure, which was originally planned for April 12.

As attention has turned to the Iran war, activists hope that their latest mission will revive attention to the plight of Palestinians living in Gaza.

“We sail because governments have failed,” says Saif Abukeshek, a Palestinian activist and member of the flotilla’s global steering committee.

Last week, Gaza marked six months since a ceasefire.

Much of the ceasefire work remains to be done, from disarming Hamas and ending its rule to deploying an international stabilization force and beginning vast reconstruction. Around 2 million Gaza residents are still living in ruins.

Israeli officials repeatedly denounced attempts to reach Gaza by sea as publicity stunts, noting that the aid the boats carry was insignificant compared to the hundreds of trucks routinely entering Gaza

Israel and Egypt have imposed varying degrees of a blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007. Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent Hamas from importing arms.