A Palestinian flag is seen as people gather at the port of Ermoupolis before the departure of two sailing boats, Electra and Oxygen, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla aiming to reach Gaza and break Israel’s naval blockade, on Syros island, Greece, Sept. 14, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Giorgos Solaris

The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) has unveiled plans for a renewed maritime mission toward the Gaza Strip, escalating efforts once again to challenge Israel’s naval blockade and make yet another attempt to reach the war-torn enclave amid ongoing regional tensions.

During a meeting in Istanbul on Saturday hosted by the GSF’s Turkish branch, Behesti Ismail Songur, a member of the organization’s leadership, announced plans for a new mission that would seek to breach the Israeli blockade of Gaza, though no date has yet been set.

According to Songur, the new effort is expected to depart “in the coming months,” with organizers promising an expanded number of vessels and broader international participation compared with flotillas launched earlier this spring.

“The Global Sumud Flotilla is setting out on a new mission toward Gaza with the aim of breaking the blockade and highlighting the humanitarian situation in the Strip,” he said.

The anti-Israel flotilla represents the latest attempt by activists to defy Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza, even as Israel has reopened the Rafah crossing to allow Palestinians to travel to Egypt for medical care.

Israel launched the blockade to prevent Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group that ruled Gaza before the war and currently controls about 40 percent of its territory, from getting weapons and other supplies to attack the Jewish state.

Before the war, the Rafah border crossing with Egypt served as the only direct exit for most Gazans and a crucial entry point for humanitarian aid. The crossing has been largely closed since May 2024 and remains under Israeli military control on the Gazan side.

In recent months, COGAT, the Israeli military unit responsible for humanitarian coordination, reopened the crossing in both directions for Gaza residents on foot only, with operations coordinated alongside Egypt and the European Union.

GSF’s new announcement comes after Israeli naval forces intercepted the organization’s spring 2026 flotillas in international waters, stopping most of the 54 vessels carrying roughly 500 activists west of Cyprus in a large-scale maritime operation that unfolded over several days.

Dozens of vessels were halted at sea, and hundreds of activists were taken to Israel before being detained, processed, and subsequently deported.

Although the operation did not succeed, activists still described the flotillas as a media success and vowed to continue maritime pressure on Israel, pledging to return with a larger fleet in future attempts.

Experts have repeatedly noted that the amount of aid on the ships is small and limited compared to the truckloads of supplies that Israel has allowed into Gaza. 

Israeli officials said more than 1.58 million metric tons of humanitarian aid and thousands of tons of medical supplies have entered Gaza since October 2025, when the ceasefire with Hamas went into effect.

The anti-Israel campaigners have also organized previous flotillas carrying symbolic humanitarian aid, including a similar mission last year that Israeli officials repeatedly denounced as a publicity stunt.

About 50 vessels carrying 500 activists took part in last year’s mission, but all were intercepted by Israeli forces and deported, including climate activist Greta Thunberg and European Parliament member Rima Hassan.