Two French sailboats will depart from Marseille on April 4th and join a new international flotilla of about a hundred boats with the aim to “break” the Israeli blockade and reach Gaza, the organizers announced on Monday, March 30th.
“Our message is essentially political”, said Claude Léostic from the association France Palestine Solidarity (AFPS) during a press conference, referring to an initiative of “solidarity with the Palestinian people who are under siege and blockade in Gaza”.
In the fall of 2025, a flotilla of around fifty boats made up of political figures and activists like the Swedish Greta Thunberg, was illegally intercepted by the Israeli navy according to the organizers and Amnesty International. They were detained and deported by Israel.
“Come, we are waiting for you”
These two French boats will also carry “medicines” and “food”, specified Claude Léostic, alongside representatives of this coalition of about thirty members, including Urgence Palestine, Attac, the Solidaires trade union, CGT federations, and La France insoumise.
“With 100 boats, we have a chance that some will get through”, said Claude Léostic. “And if some get through and reach Gaza, symbolically it is extremely powerful, the blockade will have been broken”, she emphasized, adding, “Our Palestinian friends in Gaza tell us, ‘come, we are waiting for you’.”
“The flotilla is the strongest, most impactful movement in terms of media to keep Palestine on the international stage”, explained Meriem Hadjal from the organization “Waves of Freedom France,” which will sail towards Gaza at a time when the Middle East conflict is in the headlines.
“This is not a cruise”
“This is not a cruise, it is a militant march where we understand the risks”, emphasized Claude Léostic, referencing the Israeli-American war against Iran and the conflict in Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel.
“If things worsen in the Eastern Mediterranean, we could change our route, our deadlines”, she explained. This French coalition, named “Liberty Flotilla for Gaza,” will join the flotillas of the “Thousand Madleens” and the “Global Sumud Flotilla.”
“We will sail together towards Gaza”, around April 20th, Claude Léostic indicated, mentioning a one-week stop in southern Italy beforehand for “non-violence training.”
Gaza, governed by Hamas, has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007. Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement accuse each other of violating the ceasefire that came into effect on October 10, 2025, after two years of war. Accusations of genocide committed by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza have escalated. These accusations are denied by Israel.
