Gaza (Quds News Network)- The largest civilian and humanitarian fleet since the Israeli blockade of Gaza began is set to sail to the Palestinian enclave in four days, as Israel continues to block aid from entering the territory for over five months, with the IPC officially declaring a famine in Gaza. The Global Sumud Flotilla is the largest civilian and humanitarian fleet ever to sail for Gaza, prepared within the shortest time frame in history, and formed through the unprecedented union of four major grassroots movements, organizers and participants of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the Global March to Gaza, the Sumud Convoy, and the Asian Sumud Nusantara. This coalition brings together thousands of individuals from across the globe, including lawyers, doctors, nurses, journalists, parliamentarians, and human rights defenders. “Together, we embark on a mission to deliver life-saving aid directly to the population of Gaza, and to challenge an unlawful blockade that constitutes one of the gravest crimes under international law,” Melanie Schweizer, a lawyer and member of the Steering Committee of the Global Sumud Flotilla, said. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition has, since 2006, organised ships to sail toward Gaza in an effort to break Israel’s illegal siege. Some vessels succeeded, others were intercepted by Israeli forces, and one in 2010 was attacked with lethal force, resulting in the killing of ten participants. The Global March to Gaza mobilised in March 2025 and brought over 4,000 participants from across the world to Cairo to march to Gaza’s Rafah city. Simultaneously, the Sumud Convoy gathered participants from Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia and organized buses to join the Global March. The march and convoy were violently obstructed, with hundreds detained by Egyptian authorities. The initiatives, however, proved that international civil society is ready to act en masse in solidarity with the people of Palestine. This was cemented by the formation of the Asian Sumud Nusantara, which expanded the network even further, “demonstrating that resistance to genocide is not confined to one region but reaches around the world.” “The situation in Gaza is catastrophic,” Schweizer said. “The Global Sumud Flotilla is a peaceful and humanitarian mission. It carries not only food and medicine, but also the hope of millions: That humanity will prevail over indifference.” Speaking at a press conference in Tunis earlier this month, hosted by the Joint Action Coordination for Palestine, a civil society coordination platform, members of the Global Sumud Flotilla said activists from 44 countries have signed up for the coordinated effort. “This summer, dozens of boats, both large and small, will set sail from ports across the world, converging on Gaza in the largest civilian flotilla of its kind in history,” said organizer Haifa Mansouri. The first convoy will leave Spanish ports on Aug. 31, followed by a second from Tunisian ports on Sept. 4.