By Colonel (Ret) Ann Wright, World BEYOND War, October 20, 2026
International Solidarity Against the Israeli Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinians Grows with each Israeli Atrocity.
While Palestinians are exhausted from the Israeli genocide and ethnic cleansing and the coordinators and volunteers of the Gaza Flotillas are tired, they like the Palestinians, will never give up challenging the immoral, criminal actions of the Israeli state.
Recent History (2023-2026) of the Gaza Flotillas
In the past two years a remarkable number of persons have confronted the Israeli military at sea. Over 1,000 persons on hundreds of boats have risked their lives by direct confrontation with the Israeli genocidal military.
The latest of the boats on the journey to Gaza is the Kate/Tenacity.
After a two-month journey from northern Europe, the Kate/Tenacity arrived in Sicily on October 14, 2026 with 12 persons onboard. The Kate left Bristol, United Kingdom on August 17, 2026 and participated in Palestine solidarity community events in Ireland, France and Spain before arriving in Sicily.
In the past year and one-half, nineteen months, the flotillas have launched over 120 boats to attempt to break the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza. Prior to that, from 2008-2024, more than 35 boats had sailed to attempt to break the illegal naval blockade of Gaza.
Incredible Amount of Logistics and Outreach Needed for Each Mission
Each attempt to break the illegal Israeli naval siege on Gaza required fund raising in our local communities for the mission, locating and purchasing boats, repairing and outfitting the boats with safety and communications equipment, food for the journey and symbolic medical and provisions to take to Gaza, locating captains and crew, vetting volunteer participants, getting participants to the boats and making preparations for the return of those involved when Israeli military forces attacked the vessels, kidnapped, assaulted, abused and imprisoned the participants and deported them.
Each time a boat is launched for the mission to Gaza, an incredible network of volunteers from the 18 national campaigns of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition spring into action to fill all the roles needed for these missions.
Since 2008, when the predecessor of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the Free Gaza Movement, successfully sailed five boats that arrived in Gaza, none of the 35 boats that we have sailed to break the illegal Israeli naval blockade of Gaza have escaped from attacks in international waters the brutal Israeli military forces. In 2010 Israeli military commandos shot and killed ten and wounded over 50 participants among the 600 participants on the Mavi Marmara ship. This year, in 2026, sixteen years later, Israeli military forces shot 3 persons and physically abused hundreds of participants.
No flotilla boats sailed during the four years of the worldwide COVID epidemic.
Citizen activist against the horrific Israeli brutality toward Palestinians ramped up again as the Israeli-US genocide of Palestinians in Gaza began in October 2023.
2023, 2024. Handala 1 Sails from Scandinavia to Sicily
Photo by Freedom Flotilla Coalition
In 2023, the Freedom Flotilla coalition sailed the converted fishing trawler renamed Handala 1 from Scandinavia to Sicily in the “For the Children of Gaza” mission stopping in ports for community Palestine solidarity events in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Scotland, England, Ireland, the Netherlands, France, Spain and Italy. Captains, crew and participants from many countries sailed on portions of that mission. The Handala 1 was held over the winter of 2023 in Sicily waiting for better sailing weather to Gaza until the spring/summer of 2024.
Handala 1 ended up staying Sicily through 2024 and finally sailed to Gaza from Sicily in July 2025 with 21 crew and participants onboard.
2024-Three FFC “Break the Siege” Ships Stalled in Türkiye by Turkish Government; 8-month Citizen Encampment Freed the Conscience
Graphic by Freedom Flotilla Coalition
Photo of the large Akdeniz ferry boat by Freedom Flotilla Coalition
Meanwhile, in March 2024, the Freedom Flotilla coalition attempted to launch in the “Break The Siege” mission, with three large ships from Istanbul, Türkiye, two passengers ships Akdeniz, Conscience and the cargo ship Anadolu. However, after participants had arrived in Istanbul and had undergone training for the mission, the Turkish government would not allow the Akdeniz to leave port after the Guinea-Bissaud, the nation that had flagged the ship suddenly withdrew the flag under political pressure from Israel.
Turkish activists organized by the Mavi Marmara Association created a 24-hour protest encampment near the ship Conscience which 8 months later led to the release of the vessel in the Spring, 2025.
2025-Conscience Bombed by Israeli in international Waters off Malta
Photo of the Conscience by Ann Wright
Photo of the fire and explosive damage to the Conscience from Israeli drones. Photo by crew of the Conscience.
The Conscience sailed from Türkiye to Tunisia and then to Malta in late April 2025. In the early morning of May 2, only hours before the 44 participants who had undergone nonviolence training in Malta were to be taken to the Conscience, the Israelis bombed the Conscience with explosives carried on small drones. The Conscience was anchored 12 nautical miles off Malta, and for the first time, Israel bombed a ship in the waters of a European country. Fortunately, the injuries suffered by the 18 Turkish and Azerbaijanian crew onboard were minor, but the damage to the Conscience was major. The Conscience was then towed back to Türkiye for repairs.
2025- FFC Sailboat Madleen Sails toward Gaza
Photo of the Madleen by Freedom Flotilla Coalition
In 2024, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition had purchased a sailboat we named Madleen. Our Freedom Flotilla crew sailed Madleen from Croatia to Malta in April 2025 to meet and sail with the Conscience from Malta. However, on the way from Croatia, there was an electrical fire onboard and had to stop for repairs in Italy.
After repairs were made to the Madleen, the FFC decided to sail her alone toward Gaza as the Israeli genocide in Gaza was intensifying. Around May 27, 2025, participants for the Madleen mission began arriving in Augusta, Sicily for training in non-violence. After community events in Catania, Sicily, the Madleen with 12 participants departed Catania on June 1, 2025.
Madleen was attacked by the Israeli military (IOF) in international waters on June 9. The 12 participants were kidnapped and taken to Israel against their will, imprisoned and deported. Some participants were flown from Ben Gurion airport on June 10 and others on June 12 and 13, 2025.
2025- Handala 1 Sails to Gaza
Photo of Handala 1 from Freedom Flotilla Coalition
After sailing the Madleen in May 2025, the FFC sailed Handala 1 toward Gaza from Siracusa, Sicily on July 13, 2025 with 21 crew and participants onboard. After stopping two attempts at sabotaging the vessel at the Italian port of Gallipoli, the ship set sail for Gaza on July 20, 2025. The Israeli military attacked Handala 1 on July 26, 2025 in international waters.
After being kidnapped in international waters and taken against their will to Israel and imprisoned, 17 were deported from Ben Gurion airport to their home countries, two were deported overland to the Israeli border with Jordan and two US-Israeli dual citizens were released in Israel.
2025- Global March to Gaza Followed by Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza
During early 2025, Global March to Gaza, a new Palestine solidarity organization had formed. Over 4,000 participants from around the world flew to Cairo, Egypt to be a part of attempting to bring food and medicines overland to Palestinians in Gaza through the Rafah border crossing.
Not since the 2009 Gaza Freedom March organized by CODEPINK: Women for Peace when 1500 participants from 55 countries arrived in Cairo to go to Gaza on the anniversary of the horrific 2009 Israeli attack on Palestinians in Gaza that killed over 1400, had so many international activists for Palestine been in Cairo at one time. In 2009, CODEPINK had taken seven groups to Gaza to witness the terrible destruction of 27 days of Israeli bombing of Gaza, although nothing to compare to the level of destruction the Israelis have inflicted on Gaza since October 2023.
Many of the 4,000 participants in the Global March to Gaza were attacked on June 12, 2025 by Egyptian police and thugs. While most participants left Egypt after the intense surveillance and violence, by 16 June, the march had been cancelled after more than 200 people had been detained in Cairo and nearly 500 activists had their passports confiscated and were eventually deported.
Tunisians depart on Gaza convoy. Photo: Tunisia Land Convoy
A second element of the land action to Gaza, the Sumud Convoy with over 1,700 participants from Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Mauritania and Morocco left Tunis, Tunisia on buses, vans and cars on June 9 but were stopped in Sirte, Libya by the Libyan National. The convoy was cancelled in Libya on June 15 after 13 arrests.
Global Sumud Flotilla created and sailed in record time
Photo by Global Sumud Flotilla of several boats departing Barcelona, Spain, August 31, 2025
The brutal treatment from Egyptian authorities of participants in the Global March to Gaza mobilized the creation of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF). In record time, from June to August 2025, funds were donated for the purchase of ships. Captains, crew and participants were located and trained. Boats were purchased and outfitted. A remarkable fleet sailed on August 31, 2025 from Barcelona, Spain. More boats joined from Tunisia, Italy and Greece as the flotilla proceeded toward Gaza.
In putting such a large number of boats to sea at once, there were many challenges on the voyage, including stormy weather that disabled some boats in Spain and Italy.
Photo by Global Sumud from You-Tube in Tunis, Tunisia of fire on the Familia boat from Israeli dropping explosives from drones.
Adding much more danger to the mission, the Israeli military bombed two boats, the Alma and Familia, with explosives dropped from drones while they were at anchor in Tunis. As the flotilla proceeded toward Gaza, the Israeli military dropped burning materials on boats while they sailed near Greece.
The 42 boats and 462 participants on the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) were attacked by the Israeli military in international waters on October 1, 2025. After being in Israeli prison, 137 GSF participants arrived at the Istanbul, Türkiye airport on October 4, while 170 from GSF were flown to Athens and Slovakia. Over 150 participants were deported through the Israeli border overland to Amman, Jordan.
2025 – Conscience and Thousand Madleens ships Attacked
Photo by Ann Wright of the Conscience departing Otranto, Italy on September 30, 2025
Photo taken from the Conscience as they met up of several of the Thousand Madleens sailboats after leaving Otranto, Italy. Photo by Ann Wright of livestream from the Conscience
Close-Up photos from a livestream taken by Ann Wright of 3 of the 8 Thousand Madleens sailboats.
As the Global Sumud Flotilla was organized and left Spain in late August 2025, the Freedom Flotilla coalition also was preparing for another mission to Gaza.
The ship Conscience, that had been bombed by the Israelis on May 1, 2025, had been repaired and the Turkish government had finally given permission for the Conscience to depart Turkish waters.
On September 30, 2025, the Conscience sailed from Otranto, Italy with 92 persons onboard. The Conscience met up at sea with 8 Thousand Madleens sailboats. This was a huge effort, first from the Mavi Marmara Association’s one year 24-hour struggle to force the Turkish government to release the Conscience, then to get her out of port fast before the Turkish government changed its mind, then to notify the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) Steering Committee that the ship was underway to Italy and let the FFC know that the FFC needed to get lots of participants to sail on the ship and get them to drop what they were doing at home and fly to Italy—fast!
Everything went into high gear and by September 27, 2025 people were arriving in Otranto, Italy. 92 participants from 21 countries arrived in Otranto, Italy on short notice for training for the Conscience mission. The Conscience departed Otranto on September 30, 2025 headed to Gaza.
In the summer of 2025, A new organization called “Thousand Madleens” had formed in France. They called their group “Thousand Madleens” in honor of the fisherwoman from Gaza named Madleen and for Madleen sailboat that the FFC had sailed earlier in the year. The Thousand Madleen sailboats were named: Abd Elkarim Eid (Thaï), Alaa Al‑Najjar (King Julian), Anas Al Sharif (Fouka), Gaza Sunbird (Neruda), Leïla Khaled (Tadzio), Milad (Algol), Soul of My Soul, and Umm Saad (Maiden).
In the night of October 8, the Conscience and the Thousand Madleens sailboats were attacked in international waters by the Israeli military and 143 participants were kidnapped and arrested by the Israeli military in international waters. After being in Israeli prison, on October 10, 2025, 99 participants on the Conscience and Thousand Madleens were deported from Israeli and arrived at the Istanbul airport. On October 12, 44 Conscience and Thousand Madleens participants were deported overland from Israel and arrived in Amman, Jordan from where they flew home.
2026- Global Sumud Flotilla, Freedom Flotilla Coalition and Thousand Madleens Monumental Flotillas
In 2026, as the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza by Israel and the US continued to rise despite a “Ceasefire” that wasn’t followed by Israel, the Global Sumud Flotilla, Freedom Flotilla Coalition and Thousand Madleens organizations mounted a monumental effort to use the flotillas to bring attention to the ongoing Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in West Bank, the deaths and destruction by Israel of southern Lebanon.
2026- Thousand Madleens flotilla
Earlier in the Spring, 2026, Thousand Madleens had sailed 20 sailboats from Marseille, France, through Naples, Italy to Cetraro, Italy. After many days of lengthy discussions among the 125 crew and participants primarily concerning the timing of the mission, a difficult decision was reached to not sail the boats onward toward Gaza at that time.
However, the Captains and crew of three Thousand Madleens sailboats decided to join the FFC mission. Two of the boats, the Lina and Tenaz, met the FFC boats in Siracusa, Sicily and the third boat, Kyriakos X, met FFC boats off Marmaris, Türkiye.
2026-Freedom Flotilla Coalition Boats in Siracusa, Sicily
Freedom Flotilla Coalition purchased two boats for the 2026 Spring mission. The Adahah came from Rome, Italy and the Perseverance from Corsica. The two FFC boats met in Siracusa, Sicily with two boats from Thousand Madleens, the Lina and Tenaz. The four boats departed Sicily for Gaza on May 2, 2026.
The third Thousand Madleens sailboat, Kyriakos X, was already in Greece and met up initially with the remaining GSF flotilla off the south-eastern coast of Crete and then joined the FFC and GSF boats off the coast of Türkiye a week later.
Freedom Flotilla Coalition and Thousand Madleen Boats Combine with the Global Sumud Flotilla
Global Sumud Flotilla sailed 39 boats from Barcelona on April 15, 2026 stopping briefly in Augusta, Sicily. After departing Sicily on April 26, 2026, with 56 vessels, as the GSF flotilla arrived off the southwestern coast of the Greek island of Crete, the Israeli military attacked the flotilla April 29-20, 2026, 600 kilometers from Gaza, in international waters, disabling 21 boats that flew the flags of Poland, Italy, Spain, Slovenia and France, all European Union (EU) member states. Unfortunately, due to extreme political pressure from the Zionist lobbies in each of the countries and the pressure from Israeli’s protector, the United States, the EU states did not protest the illegal, criminal actions of piracy of the state of Israel on vessels flagged in their countries.
The Israeli military kidnapped 181 participants from the 21 boats, abusing the participants on a cargo “prison” ship, the INS Nahshon, a US-made ship converted into a makeshift floating prison. For 30 hours on the prison ship, the participants were denied adequate food and water, no access to soap or sanitation and IOF soldiers deliberately flooded floors with cold water so no one could sleep on them. One-third of the participants went on a hunger strike in protest of the conditions and the illegal nature of their imprisonment. With the complicity of the Greek government, the participants were dumped on the island of Crete on May 1.
Of the 53 vessels sailing the previous day (several that left Augusta, Sicily were unable to continue), 31 survived the Israeli attack and reached a small port off the south-eastern part of Crete. Two of the main GSF organizers Saif Abukeshek and Thiago Avila were kidnapped by the State of Israel and taken to an Israeli prison where they were beaten for10 days before being deported.
Abukeshek was deported by plane to Barcelona, Spain while Avila was dumped at the Israeli border with Egypt in the middle of the night with no money, no phone and no one to meet him.
Thiago’s saga of how he got home to Brazil is remarkable, thanks to the kindness of a stranger, an Egyptian taxi-driver who lent Thiago a phone and trusted that he would be repaid somehow, sometime, for giving a foreigner with a very strange story, a 6 hour taxi ride in the middle of the night from the Israeli border in the Sinai to Cairo!!
On May 8, 2026, the Global Sumud Flotilla fleet that had been off the southeast coast of Crete sailed to Marmaris, Türkiye for resupply and regrouping adding 17 boats from Türkiye to the flotilla.
Over 46 Global Sumud boats left Marmaris, Türkiye on May 14, 2026 and met up with the 5 Freedom Flotilla Coalition boats that sailed from a small Greek port north of Crete. A storm quickly disabled several boats and they were taken into ports in Türkiye.
50 boats remaining in the combined FFC, GSF and TM flotillas were attacked over a two-day period, May 18-19, 2026. Participants were kidnapped from their boats and put onto two prison ships where 3 were shot, most brutally beaten and abused, taken to Israel against their will, abused physically and sexually in the detention center in Ashdod and beaten again and abused in Ktzi’ot prison in the Negev desert.
All flotilla boats were very badly damaged by Israeli military forces with destruction of engines, sails and hulls of the boats. Some of the boats were sunk by Israeli military forces. The remaining were set adrift as hazards to navigation which the Israeli military refused to report to maritime authorities and shipping companies in the region. Many of the ships drifted to Cyrus, Greece, Türkiye and Lebanon. The remains of one boat washed ashore on a Gaza beach, the first flotilla boat or their remains to reach the shores of Gaza since 2008.
430 participants in the flotilla were flown on May 23, 2026 in three Turkish Airline aircraft to Istanbul, Türkiye where they underwent medical exams and treatment and their testimonies about Israeli actions were recorded by Turkish lawyers and police investigators. Some of the testimonies are a part of a filing against the Israeli government at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Two South Korean participants were deported from Israel and flown from Israel to South Korea. One participant was deported to Egypt, two deported to Jordan and One Israeli citizen was released inside Israel. 422 participants were deported to Istanbul, Türkiye aboard three Turkish Airline flights arranged by the Turkish government.
2026- Tunisian Global Sumud Flotilla organizers in Tunisian Prison on Hunger Strike
Four Tunisian participants in the Global Sumud Flotilla movement, Wael Naouar, Nabil Channoufi, Ghassan Henchiri and Ghassan Boughdiri, have been imprisoned since March 2026 for six months. The Tunisian court has extended their pretrial imprisonment for another four months, without providing any credible evidence of wrongdoing.
Several of the four have been on extended hunger strikes. According to human rights groups, the action by the Tunisian government is an effort to stop citizen activism for Palestine in Tunisia.
2026- Handala 2
Handala 2 photo taken by Boats to Gaza Sweden
The three Freedom Flotilla Coalition campaigns in Scandinavia purchased and outfitted a fishing trawler that was named Handala 2. Handala 2 sailed from May to August 2026 in the three Scandinavian countries making numerous stops for community events, Ship to Gaza-Norway, Ship to Gaza–Sweden and Ship to Gaza -Denmark.
After having some damage to the vessel, Handala 2 was repaired and will winter-over in Denmark. Handala 2 will sail to the Mediterranean and join the FFC ship Kate/Tenacity for the mission to Gaza in Spring, 2027
2026 – Kate/Tenacity
Photo of the Kate/Tenacity departing from Bristo, UK, on August 18, 2026 taken by FFC supporters
The history of the flotillas since 2023, brings us to October 2026 and the arrival in Sicily of the latest Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship, Kate/Tenacity, preparing for the next mission to Gaza to bring attention to the Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
After several community events, the Kate left Bristol, UK on August 17 and made important community engagement stops in Kinsale, Ireland (August 19-23); Brest, France (August 25-September 1); Bilboa, Vigo, Velez-Malaga and a series of technical and unscheduled stops in Santander, Asturias and Cartegena, Spain and Gibraltar (September 5- October 4); and Cagliari, Sardinia (October 11).
Kate/Tenacity arrived in Augusta, Sicily on October 14, 2026 with 12 crew and participants.
Due to the onset of dangerous winter conditions in the Mediterranean, Kate/Tenacity will winter-over in Sicily until its mission to Gaza in Spring 2027.
2027- Kate/Tenacity, Handala 2 and Many More Boats
The Kate/Tenacity will sail to Gaza in the Spring of 2027.
She will be joined by the Handala 2 that will sail from Scandinavia to Sicily in the early Spring 2027 making stops in ports along the route for community events for Palestine as did the Kate in the Autumn of 2026.
We anticipate other boats from other flotilla campaigns will also be a part of the 2027 Gaza flotilla.
The FFC’s member organizations include and can be contacted in these links:
- Canadian Boat to Gaza;
- Freedom Flotilla Italia;
- My Care Malaysia;
- Kia Ora Gaza [New Zealand / Aotearoa];
- Ship to Gaza Norway;
- Palestine Solidarity Alliance [South Africa];
- Rumbo a Gaza [Spain];
- Ship to Gaza Sweden;
- IHH / Mavi Marmara Freedom and Solidarity Association [Turkey];
- US Boat to Gaza;
- The Irish campaign;
- Freedom Flotilla Brasil;
- the International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza;
- Free Gaza Australia;
- Gaza Freiheitsflottille;
- Ship to Gaza Denmark;
- UK campaign to Break the Siege of Gaza;
- Campagne française Flottille de la Liberté pour Gaza
Gaza Flotillas Will Continue to Sail until Palestine is Free
For the past 18 years, the various Gaza flotillas have sailed to bring worldwide attention to the criminal, illegal Israeli naval blockade of Gaza.
Despite ever increasing violence by the Israeli government on the flotillas and other Palestine solidarity groups, we will continue to sail until the genocide, ethnic cleansing and naval blockade of Gaza ends and Palestine is Free!!!
About the Author: Ann Wright is a retired US Army Colonel and a US diplomat who resigned in March 2003 in opposition to the US war on Iraq. She is a member of US Boats to Gaza, a part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and is a representative on the Freedom Flotilla Coalition steering committee. She has been to Gaza 8 times beginning in 2009. She has participated on many of the boats of the Gaza flotilla and was kidnapped by Israeli military forces in international waters in 2010 and 2016, put into Israeli prison and deported each time. She is the co-author of “Dissent: Voices of Conscience.”
