Two French sailboats will leave Marseille on April 4th to join an “international flotilla” of around a hundred ships aiming to break the Israeli blockade in the Gaza Strip. This solidarity initiative was announced on Monday by the AFPS, following the interception of a previous maritime expedition in the fall of 2025.
Two French sailboats will depart from Marseille on April 4th and join a new international flotilla of about a hundred boats with the goal of “breaking” the Israeli blockade and reaching Gaza, the organizers announced on Monday, March 30th.
“Our message is essentially political”, said Claude Léostic of the association France Palestine Solidarity (AFPS) during a press conference, referring to an initiative of “solidarity with the Palestinian people who are facing genocide and blockade in Gaza”.
In the fall of 2025, a fleet of around fifty boats consisting 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 expelled by Israel.
“Come, we are waiting for you”
These two French boats will also carry “medicines” and “food”, clarified Claude Léostic, alongside representatives of this coalition of about thirty members, including Urgence Palestine, Attac, Union syndicale Solidaires, sections of the CGT, 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 to keep Palestine in the international spotlight”, explained Meriem Hadjal from the organization “Waves of Freedom France”, which will sail towards Gaza at a time when the Middle East conflict is making headlines.
“This is not a cruise”
“This is not a cruise, it is a militant march that we acknowledge the risks of”, insisted Claude Léostic, referring to the Israeli-American war against Iran and the conflict in Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel.
“If things worsen in the eastern Mediterranean, we could adjust our route, our schedules”, she explained. This French coalition, named “Flotilla Freedom for Gaza”, will join the flotillas of “Thousand Madleens” and “Global Sumud Flotilla”.
“We will sail together towards Gaza”, around April 20th, indicated Claude Léostic, mentioning a one-week stop in southern Italy beforehand for “non-violence training”.
The Gaza Strip, governed by Hamas, has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007. Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement accuse each other of violating the ceasefire in effect since October 10, 2025, after two years of war. Accusations of genocide committed by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza have been increasing. These accusations are denied by Israel.
