Knock LA

On April 4, 2026, 20 boats  set sail toward Gaza from Marseilles as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla vessel. The rest of the flotilla, approximately 40–70 boats, set sail on April 12, 2026 from Barcelona. Despite Israel’s constant threats of violence and commitment to preventing the flotilla from entering Gaza, humanitarian activists across the world have shown their unequivocal determination in ending this genocide, displaying profound loyalty to the Palestinian cause. 

After almost three years of genocide in Gaza, Israel violates international law on a regular basis, committing abhorrent war crimes across the region and breaking the proposed ceasefire thousands of times. According to Anadolu Agency News, Israel violated the ceasefire over 2,400 times, killing over 757 Palestinians and injuring at least 2,111 since October of last year. Reports have stated that Palestinians in Gaza are still being forcibly starved. Only 37% of aid trucks have entered the border since the start of the genocide, in addition to  over 100 aid requests that Israel has rejected, preventing the Gazan population from getting the necessary supplies, food, and aid that they need. Settlers have carried out a wave of attacks on aid trucks, further preventing them from entering the border. These attacks are wholly backed by the Israeli state. The flotilla’s intention is to once break the siege in Gaza, provide humanitarian aid for Palestinians, and pressure Israel to end its genocide and war crimes. 

On May 31, 2010, the original freedom flotilla boat called “Mavi Marmara” departed from Istanbul, Turkey. The boat set sail toward Gaza to break the Israeli-Egyptian blockade, carrying over 10,000 tons of aid for Palestinians, such as building materials and school supplies. It was organized by activist groups from over 37 countries. Once the activists reached the Palestine coast, the flotilla was intercepted by Israeli forces. They entered the boat, killing 10 of the humanitarian activists on international waters. The incident resulted in severe diplomatic ruptures between Israel and Turkey. 

Following Mavi Marmara’s bravery, The Conscience, a boat that operated with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, attempted to enter Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid in May of 2025. The boat was struck with intense Israeli drone strikes 17 miles off the coast of Malta, resulting in damage to the boat’s generators and injuring at least four of the activists on board. Following this attack, the boat rejoined the coalition in October of 2025. In June of 2025, the vessel Madleen was intercepted by Israeli forces, who sprayed chemical gas against peaceful activists and arrested and deported 12 of them, including Greta Thunberg.

In July of 2025, the Handala Freedom Flotilla vessel set sail toward Gaza, carrying aid with labor organizer Chris Smalls. Israeli forces yet again intercepted the ship and detained the entire crew. Reports state that Smalls and other activists aboard were placed into custody and severely beaten and choked by Israeli forces.

Then, between August 23 and September 27, 2025, 42 boats and at least 462 humanitarian activists set sail to the Mediterranean on a nonviolent mission to “break Israel’s illegal siege and stand with the Palestinian people.” On September 8 and 9, just off of the port of Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia, two of the leading boats, Alma and Family, were attacked by Israeli drones. Although all the crew members survived the attacks, it then sent shockwaves throughout the entire flotilla mission. A week later, once the crew entered the Greek Search and Rescue Zone, reports state that over 15 drones targeted 12  of the boats. Weathering the attacks, the flotilla continued on. The humanitarian mission was intercepted by Israel once again on October 1, 2025. Despite the crew members’ efforts to coordinate peacefully with Israeli forces, warships surrounded the vessel as Israeli soldiers shouted threats and orders through the radio. After the interception, hundreds of activists were taken to the city of Ashdod, and then to detention centers, Ktz’iot and Adalah.

The most recent Global Sumud flotilla consists of about 70 boats, carrying over 1000 participants, of all different ethnicities and backgrounds. Chad Ashby, a California native, originally from Indio and now living in Topanga, is currently on the flotilla setting sail to Gaza. Ashby is now in Augusta, Sicily as departure has been delayed for a few days. 

“It has been a very intense and beautiful experience to be around so many amazing humans from around the world coming together to make this project happen,” Ashby told Knock LA. “Even if the aid delivery is not achieved; continuing to keep the eyes of the world on the genocide in Palestine will make this great effort worthwhile.”

Regardless of Israel’s destruction of any possibility of breaking the siege in Gaza, humanitarian activists across the world are determined to continue trying. Palestinians continue to be killed and suffer under Israeli occupation as the world turns a blind eye. Arrests issued by the international court have yet to be made against Netanyahu and other Israeli officials accused of genocide and other war crimes. The flotilla mission is a necessary action for confronting Palestinian suffering, ending this genocide, and bringing aid, safety, and peace to Gaza.