Shabwa: The Global Sumud Flotilla plans to set sail again for war-torn Gaza in the spring with broader international participation, the mission's Trkiye coordinator said, arguing that ceasefire terms are not being implemented and humanitarian needs in the territory remain unmet.
According to Anadolu Agency - English, Huseyin Durmaz, the coordinator, highlighted that while hundreds of aid trucks were promised daily under the October truce framework, only about 40 to 50 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies are entering Gaza each day. Many of these trucks are commercial, despite residents lacking the purchasing power to buy goods after widespread devastation.
Durmaz emphasized the dire situation by stating, "We are talking about a city that has been completely destroyed because of genocide," and expressed the necessity of a new, larger mission. He indicated that the coming spring months would see many more initiatives and major coalitions forming to deliver aid to Gaza due to the failure of ceasefire implementation and unmet needs.
He further suggested that Israel might be pursuing efforts to displace residents from Gaza, which is motivating broader mobilization. "This is something that encourages us to organize, plan, and carry out much larger and stronger actions again," Durmaz said.
The next mission is expected to include participation from more countries than previous flotillas, and initiatives have been launched to strengthen and renew the team. Durmaz mentioned that the flotilla movement believes international public pressure has historically influenced developments in Gaza, stirring a 'global conscience.'
Durmaz stated, "What mattered most to us was embedding in people's minds the idea that 'a great deal can be done for Gaza.' We wanted to show that global actions are possible, and that as long as we believe, we can take major steps that yield results. We believe we have achieved this. The global conscience has now awakened and has begun to act in a lasting way."
He acknowledged potential 'manipulations' questioning the need for a flotilla amid existing aid deliveries under the ceasefire process, emphasizing the necessity for greater effort and determination in response. Durmaz concluded that the need for major global initiatives has compelled them to 'find new ways and methods to be the voice of the people of Gaza and to produce much bolder and greater ideas - and to act - in order to end' the suffering.
In the past, Israel has attacked several Gaza-bound ships, seized their cargo, and deported the activists on board. In October, Israeli naval forces attacked and seized more than 40 boats that were part of the Gaza-bound Global Sumud humanitarian aid flotilla, detaining over 450 activists who reported abuse during their captivity.
Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million people, for nearly 18 years, tightening the siege in March by closing border crossings and blocking food and medicine deliveries, which pushed the enclave into famine. The Israeli genocide on Gaza began on Oct. 8, 2023, and lasted for two years until a ceasefire agreement took effect in October 2025, halting a two-year war that killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and leaving the enclave in ruins.