Organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla state that over 70 boats and 1,000 people from around the world will participate in the action, and the organizers convey that this is the largest civilian mobilization of its kind against Israeli actions in Palestinian territory.
Nearly 40 boats have departed from Barcelona, with the rest of the flotilla set to join from other ports along the Mediterranean as they sail eastward, said Thiago Ávila, one of the flotilla leaders, during a press conference in Barcelona on Sunday at a symbolic send-off.
Due to bad weather, organizers were forced to postpone the departure, which was originally planned for April 12.
As international attention shifts to the war involving Iran, activists hope this mission will refocus attention on the dire situation of Palestinians living in Gaza.
"We are sailing because governments have failed," said Saif Abukeshek, a Palestinian activist and member of the flotilla's global steering committee.
"They want a society that feels powerless, that cannot act, that cannot mobilize. We refuse to be such a society," Abukeshek said on Sunday.
Last week in Gaza marked six months since a ceasefire halted the most intense fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas. However, Israeli attacks have killed over 700 people in the six months since the ceasefire was declared, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
Much of the work to solidify the ceasefire remains to be completed—from disarming Hamas and ending its rule, to deploying international stabilization forces, to beginning extensive reconstruction. About 2 million residents of Gaza continue to live among ruins, facing shortages of food and medicine, while only limited aid enters the enclave through a single, Israeli-controlled border crossing.
Israel and Egypt have imposed various forms of blockade on Gaza since Hamas took control from rival Palestinian factions in 2007. Israel claims the blockade is necessary to prevent weapons from being imported for Hamas, while critics say it collectively punishes the Palestinian population in Gaza.
The latest action by the Global Sumud Flotilla comes less than a year after a previous attempt was thwarted by the Israeli military.
Last fall, dozens of boats sailed close to Gaza, with one even crossing the 12-nautical-mile (22-kilometer) line that separates international waters from territorial waters off Gaza. However, all were eventually intercepted and seized or turned back.