Largest Freedom Flotilla in History to Set Sail to Gaza with 1,000 Ships

A new “Freedom Flotilla” made up of 1,000 ships is being prepared to set sail with one mission: to break the blockade on Gaza.

Volunteers and civil society organizations from around the world are mobilizing with their own resources to challenge the genocidal apartheid state of Israel’s siege on the coastal enclave. Earlier flotillas — including the Madleen aid ship, the Global Sumud Flotilla, and previous Freedom Flotillas — faced Israeli military interventions and attacks, but several vessels still managed to reach Gaza’s territorial waters, inspiring a larger and more ambitious effort.

The previous flotillas set out from various ports in the Mediterranean, navigating international waters and following legally recognized maritime routes to approach Gaza under global scrutiny. Despite technical breakdowns, electronic disruptions, communication blackouts, and close military surveillance, some ships successfully broke through the naval blockade.

On October 2, Israeli forces targeted the Global Sumud Flotilla with chemical liquid, cutting off communications and surrounding vessels live on air. Six days later, on October 8, the occupation forces launched further assaults on ships belonging to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.

This new flotilla aims to dwarf previous missions. Backed by growing global outrage over the blockade and the ongoing war, organizers say the upcoming effort will be the largest civilian-led maritime convoy in modern history. The fleet will include activists, doctors, journalists, lawyers, and volunteers from around the world.

The plan is for ships to depart simultaneously from multiple ports across the Mediterranean, join up in international waters, and approach Gaza’s shores together in a coordinated action. The organizers hope the scale of the flotilla will amplify international pressure and create a sustainable humanitarian corridor to the besieged enclave.

For many involved, the flotilla is more than a convoy — it’s a global statement against silence in the face of what they describe as systematic oppression and collective punishment.