Two French sailboats will depart from Marseille on April 4th to join a new international flotilla of around a hundred boats with the aim of “breaking” the Israeli blockade and reaching Gaza, the organizers announced on Monday, March 30.
“Our message is essentially political,” said Claude Léostic from the association France Palestine Solidarité (AFPS) during a press conference, referring to an initiative of “solidarity with the Palestinian people who are under genocide and blockade in Gaza.”
In the fall of 2025, a fleet of around fifty boats, including political figures and activists like Swedish Greta Thunberg, was illegally intercepted by the Israeli navy according to 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 the coalition including Urgence Palestine, Attac, Union syndicale Solidaires, CGT federations, and La France insoumise.
“With 100 boats, we have a chance that some will get through,” said Claude Léostic. “And if some manage to reach Gaza, symbolically it is extremely powerful, the blockade will have been broken,” she emphasized, adding: “Our Palestinian friends in Gaza are telling us, ‘come, we are waiting for you.'”
“The flotilla is the strongest and most impactful movement in terms of media coverage 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 making headlines.
“This is not a cruise”
“This is not a cruise, it is a militant march with risks that we are aware of,” stressed Claude Léostic, referring to the Israeli-American war against Iran and the conflict in Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel.
“If things deteriorate further in the Eastern Mediterranean, we may change our route and schedule,” she explained. This French coalition, named “Freedom 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 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 increased, allegations that Israel denies.
