Two French sailboats will depart from Marseille on April 4th to join an “international flotilla” of about a hundred ships aiming to break the Israeli blockade in the Gaza Strip. This solidarity initiative, announced on Monday by AFPS, comes after the interception of a previous maritime expedition in the fall of 2025.
Two French sailboats will leave Marseille on April 4th to join a new international flotilla of about a hundred boats with the goal of “breaking” the Israeli blockade and reaching Gaza, organizers announced Monday, March 30th.
“Our message is essentially political”, said Claude Léostic of the France Palestine Solidarity Association (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 flotilla of around fifty boats, including political figures and activists like the Swede Greta Thunberg, was illegally intercepted by the Israeli navy, according to organizers and Amnesty International. They were arrested and expelled by Israel.
“Come, we’re waiting for you”
These two French boats will also carry “medicines” and “food”, said Claude Léostic, alongside representatives of a coalition of about thirty members, including Urgence Palestine, Attac, the Solidaires union, CGT federations, and La France Insoumise.
“With 100 boats, we have a chance for some to get through”, said Claude Léostic. “And if some boats succeed in reaching Gaza, symbolically it’s extremely powerful, the blockade will have been broken”, she emphasized, adding, “Our Palestinian friends in Gaza are telling us, ‘come, we’re waiting for you'”.
“The flotilla is the strongest, 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”, who will sail towards Gaza at a time when the Middle East conflict is headline news.
“It’s not a cruise”
“It’s not a cruise, it’s a militant march that we acknowledge the risks of”, emphasized Claude Léostic, referring to the Israeli-American war against Iran and the conflict in Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel.
“If the situation deteriorates further in the Eastern Mediterranean, we may change our route and deadlines”, she explained. This French coalition, named “Flotilla Liberté pour Gaza”, will join the flotillas of “Thousand Madleens” and “Global Sumud Flotilla”.
“We will sail together towards Gaza”, around April 20th, Claude Léostic indicated, mentioning a one-week stop beforehand in southern Italy for “training in non-violence”.
Gaza, governed by Hamas, has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007. Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement each accuse the other of violating the ceasefire in place since October 10, 2025, after two years of war. Accusations of genocide committed by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza have been mounting. These accusations are denied by Israel.
